


Adventures of TF2: Clockwork

by BloodRose7908



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Other, Other - Freeform, mutual, relationship, slight gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:20:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 155,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24278029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodRose7908/pseuds/BloodRose7908
Summary: After winning another victory, the weekend finally arrives. The team can finally relax and enjoy their two days off with a victory on the side: well, almost everyone. Engineer has been cooped up in his workshop for quite a while and it's making (y/n) show concern for his well-being. However, as she brings it up, Engineer seems to be dodging her questions. Suspicions arise until something goes wrong, causing (y/n) and Engineer to go on a crazy adventure.
Relationships: Demoman (Team Fortress 2)/Reader, Engineer (Team Fortress 2)/Reader, Heavy (Team Fortress 2)/Reader, Medic (Team Fortress 2)/Reader, Pyro (Team Fortress 2)/Reader, Scout (Team Fortress 2)/Reader, Sniper (Team Fortress 2)/Reader, Soldier (Team Fortress 2)/Reader, Spy (Team Fortress 2)/Reader, Team Fortress 2/Reader
Comments: 17
Kudos: 91





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this one was my own inspiration and I think I'm pretty proud of this one. The prologue might be long, but bear with me here haha. Anyway, enjoy!

“Sentry down!” The sounds of explosions go off as Engineer is seen flying off the map and falling to his doom. Scout double kicks as he manages to dodge the Blu Sniper’s shot. “Beat that chuckle nuts!” He shouts until he gets sniped and sent back to spawn. (y/n) rolled her eyes as she crouched down behind a rock to dodge the rain of bullets as they clashed against the large stone. “Come on princess,” the enemy Scout taunted, “you gonna fight like a girl now?” (y/n) growled in anger as she reloaded her bow. “Funny you should say that Scout, considering you seem used to fighting like that.” She heard the protests from his mouth as she closes her eyes for a moment. “Okay, the Scout should be on the right near the hill. There’s a Sniper on the platform of the water tower, so definitely should go to the right where there’s more cover.” (y/n) took a deep breath before jumping to the side and aiming her bow at the Scout, firing a shot through his head. She quickly ran as she spotted the Sniper ready to take his shot, quickly sliding on the ground to hide behind a wall as the bullet just barely grazed her face. (y/n) sighed in relief as she glanced around. She spotted her Sniper from a small boarded window from her team’s side. (y/n) saw Medic behind the Heavy coming from a bottom room as they attempted to push the team, but to no avail. “Guys, we need to capture this control point!” (y/n) yelled as they fought under the hot heat of the desert.

Engineer came along with his toolbox and set up a dispenser next to her. “So, how was respawn?” She said with a smirk. Engineer rubbed his head. “Ah’ reckon you saw that. I’ll tell ya, I’m gonna get that son of a bitch.” (y/n) looked to the side to see the enemy Engineer setting up a level 2 turret from the second platform. “Hardhat has his turret set up,” she said. (y/n) saw Soldier rocket jump as he yelled after the Demoman. “You sissies need to grow real hair!” He yelled as he shot a rocket at the enemy Pyro, causing him to blow into pieces that scattered over the control point. However, the Demoman started to lay some sticky bombs as Soldier accidentally landed on them, the sudden explosion causing (y/n) to recoil from her spot. “Great, we’re never going to get to that control point like this!” Engineer huffed. “Well, that Aussie up there’s givin’ us a damn hard time.” (y/n) peeked from her spot again. “I know, he’s just too far to reach and our Sniper is occupied at the moment.” She huffed as she saw the time they had left. (y/n) thought for a moment before decided to go underneath the bridge where the control point was resting above. “I have to try to reach that water tower,” she said. She noticed that the safest way to reach him would be to go underneath the bridge, sneak through one of the halls of the building, go around and climb the water tower to try to take him out. However, there was one problem: there was a Blu Soldier on top of the bridge that could very well see her run under and a Blue Heavy and Medic positioned underneath. In addition, it has been a while since she has seen the Blu Spy around.

She activated her intercom. “Scout, come in Scout.” “(y/n) what the hell do you want, I’m kinda busy at the moment.” “Whatever you’re doing now just stop. I need your help to take the Sniper out.” “Love to help, but no thanks. I’m doing just fine on my-” A shrill scream comes from a distant as the enemy Sniper starts laughing at the kill he made. Silence streams through the intercom until she hears his voice again. “Okay fine, what’s the plan?” (y/n) sighed. “Okay, I need to get under the bridge and rush through the open hall to get through their building. I need someone to help me take out the Heavy and Medic under the bridge and someone to distract that Soldier on top. You’re the only one who can distract the Soldier, you’re faster than he can handle.” “Gee thanks toots, I know that I’m awesome you don’t have to remind me.” “Ugh, Scout just distract the Soldier. I’ll get Engineer to help me take down that Heavy.” “Yeah, whatever. I can do this by myself.” “Whatever, Scout.”

She turned off her intercom as she stared at the upper bridge. Soldier was firing the rockets at her Heavy and Medic until Scout ran out of nowhere and caught his attention. “Think fast, dumbass!” Soldier growled at him as he started to hunt him down with his rockets. Meanwhile, (y/n) turned to Engineer. “Engie, I need you to help me take down that Heavy.” Engineer gave a nod before he grabbed his toolbox again. As the Heavy and Medic focused their attention on her Pyro, she and Engineer ran to another rock closer to the bridge. The Blu Medic took notice. “Sentry!” He pointed just as Engineer laid down his sentry turret. Heavy turned his attention to the small machine as (y/n) leapt from the rock and locked on the Medic. “Have a taste of your own medicine,” she said as she released her bow, causing the small bullet to fly and hit the Medic’s neck. He fell to the ground as he bled out, causing the Heavy to turn to rage. “Little girl will pay for killing Doctor!” The Heavy spun his machine gun as bullets started to fly, causing (y/n) to quickly hide behind a wooden pillar holding the bridge up. Some of the bullets hit against the pole, causing splinters of wood to fly. “Damn it,” (y/n) muttered. She glanced at Engineer, who tried to set up another sentry. He quickly grabbed his shotgun and locked on the Heavy. He started to fire as the Heavy felt the bullets penetrate his body. He groaned as his attention turned to Engineer quickly.

(y/n) took the chance and quickly appeared out of the spot and shot her bow again at the Heavy. However, another shot rang through the air as she felt a searing pain shoot through her right side. “Ah!” She yelled as she quickly grabbed her side and kneeled on the ground. “(y/n)!” Engineer yelled as she quickly started to run past the Heavy. Engineer turned around to see the Blue Spy with smoke coming out of his revolver. “Bonjour,” he said as he aimed it and shot it at Engineer, sending him back to spawn. Meanwhile, the Heavy turned to get (y/n), but she managed to make it to the building before the bullets could penetrate her body. She quickly ran as fast as she could, wandering through the halls of the wooden building. (y/n) knew she was near the spawn as she heard the voices of an enemy Medic and Demoman.

That was when she realized that the voices were coming her direction as she started to see shadows forming from the corner of the hall. “Crap,” she muttered before she spotted a locker off to the side. Without a second thought, she quickly ran and jumped into the locker, slamming the door. (y/n) forced her breathing to become shallow as she heard the footsteps coming closer. She still held her wounded side, feeling her hand soak in her own blood. “Shit,” she thought as the voices could be heard. “Zhat girl is somezhing,” said the Medic’s voice. “Ay, I’ll get that bleedin’ archer,” said the Demoman. A small slit was provided from the locker, allowing her to peek through. She saw the Medic and Demoman starting to run as they were about to pass the locker when the worst could happen.

“Stop,” said the Medic. “Wot is it lad?” Medic held up his hand to the Scottish man as he started to stare at something on the ground. Due to the lack of perspective, (y/n) could only see so much, wondering what could be on the ground. “Zhere’s blood…” (y/n) froze as she realized that it must have been _her_ blood. “Oh shit…” she thought as she felt sweat form on her forehead. She saw the Medic disappear from her sight, probably kneeling on the ground to get a closer look. She prayed that the trail did not give her position away as she shut her eyes, waiting for the response. “Hmm, it appears zhat zhis is fresh.” (y/n) thought that this was going to be it as she quietly and slowly started to ready her bow. The Medic examined the trail of blood as he stared at the hallway, watching as his eyes followed the blood like calligraphy on paper as the pattern evidently showed an injured person. He continued watching until his eyes landed near the front of the locker. “Oh, come on lad, we got a match to win. We got heathens to keel!!” He ran off as the Medic stayed behind for a bit. Then, he slowly turned to look at the locker. (y/n) felt the hairs of her neck stand. She felt that the man could see her through the locker as he continued to stare. Out of all the people, she ended up in the hands of a crazed doctor. She never underestimated the Medic, she heard of the experiments he did and what happened when he lost his sanity.

The Blue Medic began to slowly reach his hand out towards the locker, causing (y/n) to draw her bow. She was ready for him to open the door, she was ready to position and fire, she was ready to rush out and run as fast as she could to that water tower and take out that Sniper no matter how injured she was. She quickly closed her eyes and opened them as she readied for him to open the door. The Medic grabbed the handle of the locker and slowly used his other hand to grab his übersaw as he heard the click of the locker.

The moment she heard the click, she swiftly kicked the door of the locker, causing the Medic to be pushed back and allowing her to aim and shoot. He quickly dodged as the bullet whizzed past him and hit the wall behind him. He quickly swung his übersaw at her as she ducked and used the bow to block another attack. They locked positions as she tried to keep the weapon away from her face. “Vell, if it isn’t zhe little frau,” the Medic said smirking. (y/n) gave a dry chuckle as she ignored the stinging pain on her side. “Well according to your diagnosis, I think you will be dying in five minutes.” She quickly turned her body and delivered a swift kick to his side, causing him to stagger back as she did a flip in the air and brought her leg down on his shoulder, causing a sickening crack to happen. His shoulder was dislocated as it bent a strange way. However, Medic ran and switched to his other free hand with the übersaw, causing (y/n) to duck; but the Medic used his foot to deliver a kick to her chest, causing her to fly and slide along the floor. Her side was in a horrible pain as the sight of blood covered the floor; the more she fought, the more blood was pouring out. “Oh no, looks like zhe little Frau is bleeding. How sad,” he said as he laughed afterwards. (y/n) slowly got up as she grasped her side to stop the flow for a moment. “It doesn’t matter,” she said, “hell, I could still beat you with one hand tied behind my back!”

She quickly ran as he charged his übersaw at her again. As he attacked with his übersaw, she managed to grab the occupied hand and twist it, hearing the bone crack. Then, she jumped and used her legs to wrap around his head and bring him down as she locked his head with her legs. The Medic groaned in pain and growled as he tried to escape from her grasp. (y/n) struggled as she started to squeeze her legs harder to choke him. Then, the Blu Medic craned his head and bit her leg, his teeth sinking in as she screamed in pain. Blood started flowing from her leg as he bit down harder. Her hands were busy locking his hands in place as she twisted his occupied hand harder, feeling the ligaments tear up and causing a muffled scream to form from his mouth. “Give up, Medic!” (y/n) yelled as she tried to end it. She struggled until she felt that he was slowly getting weaker, as his body was struggling less now. She could feel his mouth loosening up, causing her to gather her strength and twist her legs, causing a loud and clean crack as he fell limp.

She took deep breaths as she slowly let go of him and got up, looking at him limp form. Yep, he was dead for sure. She sighed as she continued to hold her wound. (y/n) dug around his lab coat to find a few needles with thread and a gauze. She gathered the needle and lifted her shirt to see a metal object buried in her skin. “God,” she muttered. (y/n) started to dig her fingers in her skin, causing her to wince in pain as she bit her lip as she dug around to get the bullet out. Once her hands made contact, she slowly took it out, groaning as she did so. She threw the bullet on the floor as she started to stitch herself up. She tried to control her breathing as each stitch went through her skin. Thank god Medic taught her how to do basic suturing during their time together. Once she was done, she placed the gauze on her skin and ensured that it would stay. After that, she quickly lowered her shirt and ran down the hall. (y/n) turned a few corners as she searched for the water tower.

She found herself going through a door that led outside as the sun beat down on her skin, her sweat mixing with the excess blood. She quickly ducked behind a boulder as she glanced up at the tower. “(y/n), ah’ come in.” A voice sounded on her intercom. She quickly answered it. “Engie, what’s up?” “Listen (y/n), there’s ah Spy goin’ around. He’s lookin’ for ya, but ah’ don’t know where he went. I got shot by that mean mother hubber.” “Alright, I’ll keep an eye out.” With that, she quickly turned off her intercom and slowly snuck around to the ladder of the water tower. She could hear another shot echoing from the tower as she heard another distant scream. (y/n) quickly looked around for the clearing and started to climb up the ladder to the tower. She slowly climbed as she listened to the mumbling of the Blu Sniper. “I just bagged the world’s fattest man!” He yelled as he got another kill. (y/n) glared at the comment as she made it to the top.

(y/n) saw him looking through his scope as she slowly stood on the platform, silently taking out a small knife from her boot. She opened it as she crept towards him. As she was ready to attack, she heard a voice behind her. “Mon amour, you should have looked a little closer.” She quickly turned as she dodged the butterfly knife that the Blu Spy swung at her. The whole ordeal alerted the Sniper as he quickly whipped out his kukri. “Noice try, Shelia. Looks like this is gonna be a noice an’ easy fight.” (y/n) quickly took her knife and blocked the Sniper as she kicked the Spy, who quickly blocked her. She was not having any of this as she realized that the Sniper wrapped one arm around her and hugged her to get her to stand still as Spy came with the knife. (y/n) quickly leaned her head forward and delivered a headbutt, causing a crack as she broke his nose. The Sniper recoiled, causing her to quickly slip out of his grasp and grab the Spy’s hand and wrapped her leg around his arm and breaking it. He screamed in pain as she proceeded to deliver a punch to his face and turn around to face the Sniper. As he was clutching his nose, she quickly took her knife and stabbed him in the back. To make sure, she raised her leg and pushed him off the tower, causing him to scream as he fell to the ground with a sickening splat. 

She turned her attention just in time to see Spy swing at her, causing her to duck as the knife came at her again. This time, (y/n) slid between his legs and kicked him in the right spot, causing him to drop his knife as she got up behind him and pulled out a small wire from her pocket. She wrapped it around her hands before pulling it over his head and choking him with it. This caught him by surprise as he dropped his knife. “Not so tough now you back-stabbing rat, huh?” (y/n) commented as she pressed harder against his neck, causing him to gasp for air. “Merde,” he managed to breathe out as he attempted to grab the wire. (y/n) quickly leaned forward as both fell to the ground as half his body was hanging off the edge of the platform. She sat on top of him as she proceeded to push the wire further into his neck. She growled as he tried to flail his arms around, unable to do anything. She could see her team from afar struggling to get to the point; but now that the Sniper was out of the way, she saw that they were able to go out into the open and push through as the Blu team was forced to move away from the point for now.

The Spy started to weaken as she then tied the wire around his neck and latched it onto part of the tower. When she quickly got off him, he tried to stand up until she kicked him back hard and caused him to fall off the platform. The wire went until it stopped, causing him to hang from the tower as he was somehow still alive. He struggled from the tower screaming and choking out, “Help! Medic!” (y/n) smirked as she quickly climbed down the tower and took a different route around the small building. She was able to run and get near the point where her Pyro and Medic were as they put some enemies on fire. “Vunderbar!” Medic yelled as he saw her approach. Scout appeared from another platform as he hollered at her. “Now, that’s what I’m talkin’ about, toots!” Scout complimented her. “Sniper and I saw dat fight from the building, you really gave it to them!” (y/n) gave a small smile as she brushed a piece of hair out of the way. “Yes, thanks for the encouragement, but we have a point to capture.”

Engineer came around to reposition his dispenser as the team reloaded their ammo and charge at the team. (y/n) fired with her bow as she aimed at the Soldier and shot him down. Scout ran and started to help (y/n) and take down the Heavy with Medic and Soldier. The team was so close to capping the point until the Blue Medic and Heavy started their übercharge. “Crap, get back!” (y/n) yelled as she and the team got back behind cover. She hid behind a few crates with Scout as they felt the bullets penetrate the cover. “We only have a minute left, Scout!” She yelled as she tried peering over the crate. Scout reloaded his scattergun as he peered from the other side. He yelped as a bullet hit the crate next to him. “God, these bums ain’t gonna stop.” Medic yelled, “Scheisse, we must move! Schnell!” Once the übercharge was over, the team tried to push as they charged forward while (y/n) struck at the sentry. Her Medic was able to get his übercharge as he activated it on Heavy, surrounding them in red. (y/n) quickly went after the Soldier as she shot her bow at him and struck him down. Her Scout has managed to run behind and hit the Medic with his baseball bat. “Real nice doitch bag!” (y/n) ran as she landed on the control point, watching the meter turn red. “Come on, come on…” she muttered as Soldier was able to take down the sentry.

There were a few seconds left until Demoman spotted (y/n) and launched a few bombs at her, causing her to move out of the way as the red meter stopped. As the bombs exploded, she felt the impact against her back as the bombs shredded the back of her shirt. She hissed as the skin slightly burned, causing her to fall. She felt her wound open again as blood started flowing out. She quietly cursed at herself as she looked to see her red shirt turn darker. She slowly got up and readied her bow again as she turned to aim it at the Scottish drunk, hitting his other eye. With only a few seconds left, (y/n) quickly ran and dived on the point as she quickly got up and tried defending it as the meter slowly rose higher. Ten seconds were left as both teams held their ground as (y/n) held on. The Administrator’s voice could be heard: “Five… Four…” (y/n) got down as the bullet flew, closing her eyes shut as she laid on the point. “Two… one…”

“Victory.” (y/n) opened her eyes and looked up to see the point turn red as her team cheered. “Ya bloody did it, mate!” Sniper shouted from his spot as Scout cheered. “Oh yeah, I did that!” (y/n) huffed as she slowly got up and clutched her side. The Medic quickly rushed over to her and activated his gun, the red stream healing her wounds and giving her a sigh of relief. “Thank you, doctor.” “Oh ja, your vound vas looking very bad dear.” (y/n) sighed as the wound fully healed as Medic helped her stand up. She saw the Blu team groaning in defeat. “Ya bleedin’ idiots!” The Blu Demoman yelled at his team. (y/n) placed her fist up as the Red team celebrated their victory. “Alright, four times in a week! Yee haw!!!” Engineer shouted as the whole team patted each other’s backs as they made their way back to their base. The team was so happy that they won again, thanking (y/n) and each other for their last-minute work.

When they arrived at the base, the team took a break as some lounged on the couch as (y/n) went to the kitchen and gathered water bottles and a bottle of whiskey for the team. She handed them out as she gave the whiskey to Demo. “Ayy thanks lassie,” he said before taking a swig. (y/n) laughed as she opened her bottle and drank the cold liquid. She sighed in relief as she felt the cold liquid flow down her throat, soothing her body from the heat of the sun and the loss of blood. She sat down on the couch as she listened to Scout bragging about his skills. “Yeah that bum had it comin’ to him when I slammed his head with my bat!” (y/n) rolled her eyes as she continued to drink her water. “You forgot to talk about how that Sniper got you twice,” (y/n) snickered as she Scout gave her a glare. “What?! No he didn’t, that camper couldn’t even hit me with his scope up his ass!” Spy gave a smirk as he pulled out a cigarette. “Oh really, Scout? It seems that the bushman was on point with your ego.” Scout turned red. “Awh, shut up rat.” (y/n) and the other members laughed at his outburst as they continued to enjoy the drinks.

However, (y/n) turned to see that Engineer finished his water and went to leave the room. “Hey Engine,” she called out. The said Texan turned his head. “You’re going so soon? We were just starting to relax.” Engineer took his hat off and rubbed his head. “Ah well, I got some work to do in mah workshop, but I’ll come back later ah’ think.” (y/n)’s smile faltered a bit. “You know Engie, we have the whole weekend off. Why don’t you take a small break and come join us tonight? We’re going to hit the bar later downtown.” Engineer shook his head. “I’m sorry darlin’, but I sure do reckon it’d be a fine party. I’ll see y’all later.” With that, he walked out of the room as the other team members went back to talking amongst each other. (y/n) sat there for a moment as she became occupied in her thoughts. “Engineer usually goes out with us to the bar.” She decided to shrug it off for now and turned her attention as Medic asked (y/n) to tell her story about the fight that went down at the water tower. (y/n) smiled as those who missed the scene begged her to tell. “Well, alright. It all started when I got shot…” She continued with her story as the sun began to set and the night sky tucked the sun to sleep and consumed the sky in one swipe.


	2. Sleepy Time and Party Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team decides to hit the bar near downtown as they drink up. After sobering up, the team continues to join their day off as (y/n) starts to question Engineer as she sees a change in his usual Southern behavior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The following people in this scene are adults that are at the legal drinking age. The following scene is not in support of underage drinking or selling of drinks. It is under the notion of legal drinking age and responsible drinking. Thank y

The team teleported their way to a small bar near a downtown area near Teufort. The sun was down, and the night was awake as the twinkly lights fluttered through the sky. The yellow lights shined from the bar as shadows of people walked along the yellow canvas. The team was hooting and hollering as they entered the bar. The smell of fresh wood and fresh air filled the room as the bartenders served the drinks. The team made their way to the bar as the bartender greeted them, already used to their presence. (y/n) glanced around and saw a few people scattered about; a couple sat at a far table talking amongst themselves, another man was sitting at the end of the bar passed out from drinking, and two other men were sitting at another table adjacent to the couple.

The team orders their drinks as the bartender gathers different glasses, making clinking sounds. (y/n) sits next to Soldier, who chugs down his beer as he starts to get into a patriotic mess. On her other side, Heavy sits as he weighs down the stool with his weight, while Medic sits on the other side of him enjoying his drink. Pyro did not really drink, so he sat on the stool as he played with the small lighter, he carried as he gazed at the small flame before him. (y/n) sat as she sipped her wine as she listened to the team talk and blabber about the weekend. Of course, the whole team was not there: Sniper was hanging out alone in his camper and Engineer… well, he was in his workshop. The thought of him make (y/n) stir her drink around, watching the red liquid lap against the sides of the glass. Her mood dropped as her mind wandered about what Engineer was up to. Engineer was never one to skip out on bar nights, as he liked his usual beer and day off from everything hectic, but this time he seemed to begin to bury in his own work. “Maybe he just needs to catch up on something important…” Heavy turned toward her when he saw (y/n) feeling troubled.

“Is everything all right, koshka?” (y/n) snapped out of it as she saw Heavy looking at her with a look. “Oh,” she said as she gave a small smile, “I’m alright, I was just thinking about something.” Heavy turned his whole boy toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Talk to me,” he said. (y/n) sighed as she took a small sip of her wine. “I’m just concerned about Engie, I know it’s normal for him to work for hours and all, but… he doesn’t usually skip out on going to the bar.” Heavy gave her a reassuring look. “He is fine, he works in workshop like that. It is normal and you should not worry about it.” (y/n) turned away for a moment. “I guess you’re right, maybe I should.” Heavy gave her a nod as he brought up another conversation about their battle. “So, I tell you about what I did to that little man,” he said, indicating to the enemy Scout. (y/n) perked her head up to indicate she was listening. “I see tiny man with his little stick try me. Hah! He cannot easily defeat Heavy; I crushed him little head with my fist and he cry like little baby! Aha!” He gives out more bellow laughs as (y/n) nods her head. “Well Heavy, you are our big guy on the team. Good job.”

The whole team enjoys their time as conversations get loud and they start to let loose as they continued to drink more. (y/n) still had her wine, as she loved to take her time enjoying her drink. Medic was going on and on about Oktoberfest to Heavy as he swayed in his seat and raised his drink in the air, holding his balance with the other hand. Scout was laughing more than usual as he slung his arm around Demoman as they began to sing mumbling songs. Heavy was somewhat drunk, but one could say that he was still aware of his surroundings. Spy never gets drunk as he casually enjoyed his bourbon and smoked his usual cigarette. Soldier hiccupped as he slammed his beer against the table and bragged about the army. “I… er, fought those MAGGOTS UNTIL THE VERY *hic* END…” He slowly slid and slammed his head against the table, causing Scout to laugh. “Haha, look at this hardhead! Can’t *hic* even finish his sentence!” Demoman was just a mumbling mess again. “Your ass is… ass… on the grass man… punk…” He took another swing of his drink. (y/n) sighed as she looked around. She was most likely going to carry these men home on her shoulder, probably with the help of Heavy.

Then, Scout and Medic began to sing “99 Bottles of Beer”. “Oh god,” (y/n) sighed as she watched them sling a shoulder around each other while they swayed back and forth. It did not help that Demoman and Soldier joined in as they sang with their voices slurred. The Pyro began to join in as he clapped his hands and gave plenty of muffles. For the most part, the people who were at the bar have already left a while ago. Spy shook his head as he took a sip from his drink. “Fantastic, now we have more mumbling liabilities.” (y/n) watched as the sight of the team singing made her laugh. It was nice to see another part of the mercenary life. For the most part, the people of Teufort were quite aware of their mercenary skills and jobs, which developed a reputation and labeling of mercenaries being “barbaric” and “savages”. But (y/n) sees another side that people refused to take in consideration: they were human as well and they were not any different from normal people. Sure they were downright crazy, some were arrogant, and some have done some pretty bad things (Medic), but if anyone saw from (y/n)’s perspective, they had a heart and they really cared about each other, though they did not want to openly admit it. She knew that Spy was going to end up take Scout back home over his shoulder and she knew that they would make sure they got home safely. She smiled as she listened to them sing and laugh as she wondered how lucky she was to fall into this job.

Scout beckoned for (y/n) to join the song as they were on 80 bottles. “Come on tootie frutie, come join in!” (y/n) shook her head and laughed. “No thanks, I’m fine.” Scout whined as Medic laughed. “Oh frau, zhere’s nozhing wrong in joining zhe fun!” With that, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as the team started to swing side to side. “79 bottles of beer on the wall, 79 bottles of beer…” The team started to sing. “Take one down, pass it down, 78 bottles of beer on the wall!” They gave a loud cheer as they hit their drinks together. (y/n) started to laugh as they coaxed her to join. “Okay, okay,” she said. “I’ll only join if Spy and Heavy join too.” Spy blew smoke out as he twirled the bud between his fingers. “Oh please, I do not participate in such things, ami.” “Come on Spy, it’s just a song. Come join the fun,” she said. Medic nodded his head. “Ja Spy, don’t be such a baby.” Spy sighed as he sat in his place.

(y/n) walked over and quickly swiped his bud away. “I’m not going to give this back to you until you join,” she teased. Spy turned to her with an unamused look. “(y/n), you are the person that I hate the least, but please, give zhat back.” (y/n) shook her head and beckoned him to the line of men dancing and singing. “Just once Spy,” she said with a puppy-look on her face. “If I’m going to do it, then you are too.” Spy took a sip of his wine and turned away. “Fine, keep it. I have more anyway.” As he reached into his pocket, he realized that his case was missing. “What zhe hell…” he said as he patted and searched through his suit. He turned back to (y/n) to see her flailing the case around. “Looking for this?” She asked with an innocent look. Spy groaned as he slowly slid from his seat. “Fine, just once.” He said as she gave it back to him. She placed his arm around her shoulder as the team cheered that Spy was joining. “Ayy lads, *burp* let’s get to it!” Demo yells as the team starts to sing again. Heavy joins in the back and wraps his arms around most of the team. “70 bottles of beer on the wall, 70 bottles of beer! Take one down, pass it around, 69 bottles of beer on the wall!” Scout let out a laugh. “Aha, 69!” (y/n) rolled her eyes at his immaturity as the whole team started to laugh. Spy sighed, but she gave him a squeeze on his shoulder. Spy looked at her and she gave a warm smile, which made him loosen a little. “Alright, I am going to do zhis thing one time just for you.” (y/n) gave a wide smile as they started to join in on the song as the night filled with joy and laughter.

The team could not even finish the song as the alcohol started to make most of the team fall asleep in the middle of it. During their time singing, one by one they began to collapse and fall asleep on the floor. Scout was the one to go first before Medic followed, then Soldier, and finally Demo. (y/n) sighed as she picked up Medic and placed his slumped arm around her shoulder and held him with her arms. Spy picked up Scout as he slept and mumbled small words as the smell of alcohol filled his breath. “Oh, merde…” Spy said as he held his head up to avoid the stench. Heavy grabbed Soldier and Demoman and slung them over his broad shoulders like they were rag dolls. The trio began to walk as Pyro followed behind them as she turned to thank the bartender. “I’m sorry about the mess,” she said as she saw glasses scattered across the bar and piles of liquid. The bartender gave a reassuring smile. “It’s alright, I enjoy you folks coming along here. It’s very entertaining to watch you all have fun.” (y/n) gave a smiled as she wished him a goodnight as they headed out the bar and to the designated teleporter hidden behind an alleyway. One by one, (y/n) and the others placed the sleepy teammates on the teleporter as they disappeared back to the base. They placed their teammates until (y/n) was the last one left. She gave a small sigh, feeling a little tipsy from the wine, but not that much. She took a step on the teleporter as she felt herself dissolve as a flash of light appeared as she found herself back to the concrete walls of the base.

The sleepy men surrounded the ground as they snored and mumbled in their sleep. She sighed as Spy brushed his hands with his suit. “I assume zhat you are going to handle these lumbers?” (y/n) nodded as she looked at Heavy and Pyro. “You guys go ahead to bed, it’s pretty late. I’ll handle these guys,” she said as she pointed to the four sleepyheads. The rest of them said goodnight as they headed to their dorms as (y/n) started with Scout. She picked him and dragged him to his dorm, which was just down the hall to the left. She managed to open the door as she hauled him on the bed. She adjusted his pillow before placing his head on and dragging the covers over him. She closed the blinds as she closed his door and left to get the other men.

She dragged and started to sweat as she took Soldier to his room. “Jesus Christ, he’s definitely heavier than he looks.” She huffed as she attempted to drag him by his legs as his head rubbed the floor. (y/n) finally got to his room as she placed him down on the ground and pulled him by his back, laying him on the bed. She wiped her forehead as she secured his helmet in place. Before she could leave, Soldier seemed to reach his hands out and made grasping motions with his hands. “Oh, how could I forget?” She said as she grabbed a small grenade from his nightstand and placed it in his hands. He seemed to give a goofy smile as he cradled the grenade in his hands, sucking his thumb in the process. (y/n) left the room and loudly slammed the door, causing the Soldier to sigh in his sleep.

Demoman was the next one she had to carry; but his room was upstairs, and the thought of having to haul him up two flights of stairs was not her cup of tea. So, she decided to just leave him on the couch. She set up some pillows and managed to lay him on the couch as he mumbled. “… I-I love ya man… er… you think you’re… better than me…” She gave a small laugh as she removed his vest and placed a large blanket over his form. She set the rest of his stuff on the coffee table in front of the couch as she turned to get Medic last. The lab was just straight down the hall from the other rooms, so she decided to carry him. Slinging his arm around, she hoisted him to his feet as she slowly dragged him to the other room. Somehow, Medic seemed less difficult to carry, probably because the absence of his medigun, which carried extra weight on him. (y/n) finally got to the lab and opened the doors with one hand while holding onto Medic. She flicked the lights on as a flash of bright light hit her face, causing her eyes to hurt a bit. She slowly walked over to the white cot as she hauled him onto the moving cot, locking it in place once she was done. He automatically turned over, causing part of his hair to tickle his forehead as his face started to scrunch up. (y/n) leaned over and slowly brushed his hair to the side as his face. His face slowly came at peace as he gave a soft smile. “Funny,” she thought. (y/n) never sees Medic at peace like the way she sees him now. Medic was usually busy with his own experiments, stressing out over healing the team, or working with Engineer. It was quite a sight to see from Medic as she smiled and wished him goodnight, turning off the lights and shutting the door as she headed to her dorm.

She changed into her pajamas and prepared herself for bed. Snuggling under the covers, she stared out her window, watching the stars glow brightly against the dark sky. She started to feel her eyes closed as she was finally enveloped in darkness through the comfort of the night.

…

(y/n) woke up to the morning sun greeting her through the window. She slowly rubbed her eyes and got up, stretching her arms as she let out a yawn. “Thank god I didn’t get a headache,” she said aloud as she slowly got up from bed. She slowly looked at the time. “9:00… okay.” She trudged to the bathroom as she brushed her teeth and fixed her hair. Once she finished putting her hair up in a nice bun, she walked out of her room and was greeted by the smell of bacon hitting her nose. “Mmm…” she sighed in relief as she familiarized herself with the sweet scent of bacon. The smell motivated her as she started getting her energy and walked down the hall to the kitchen.

She was greeted by the sight of Sniper cooking bacon and eggs. He was alerted by the sound of her footsteps and turned his head toward the door. “G’day Sheila,” he said with a nod, turning his attention back to his task. “Good morning sharpshooter,” she said as she walked over and leaned over his shoulder. “God, I love you.” She said aloud. Sniper froze as he stared at the sizzling pan. “W-Wot?” He said in a stuttering voice. Unnoticed, (y/n) repeated herself again. “I said, ‘God, I love you’. Is there something wrong with saying that to bacon?” When Sniper realized she was talking to the bacon, he grumbled and turned back to placing it on a large plate. “Nothin’ mate,” he said as he turned away with some embarrassment. (y/n) shrugged her shoulders as she walked to the fridge and gathered a jug of orange juice. “Need any help?” she asked as she gathered a few glasses for the team. “Nah,” he said as he cracked another egg into the pan. (y/n) said nothing else as she walked out the other door to a dining table surrounded by chairs.

She set up the table with glasses and plates as she set the orange juice down. She skipped back as she saw that the coffee was already made. “Geez, what time did you get up?” Sniper just let out a few words. “8:00 in the mornin’,” he said. Sniper was not one to talk much, as he was usually a ‘lone wolf’. (y/n) picked up quickly when she first tried talking to him; and all he did was give her a one-word response with a turn of his shoulder. Now, she usually gets more responses from him, probably because he was getting used to her presence, considering she did not talk much either when she was around him. Do not be mistaken, they are good friends; but Sniper was just the quiet one who usually depended on no one else but himself. He was the top notch sharpshooter, the one who camps out and looks out for any Spies and enemies, who sleeps near the base in his van and is the first to wake up in the mornings to practice shooting cardboard figures. To the people who were not familiar with him saw him as a rude and lone man, but (y/n) saw him as just the quiet type and understood why he acted the way he did.

The sound of footsteps was heard as team members began to pour into the dining room. The other members came in groaning as they clutched their heads. “God, what a freakin’ nightmare,” Scout groaned as he slowly sat down in his chair. Demo came from a different doorway as he was covered in his blanket. “Oh, I must be drunk.” Then, Medic entered while holding a bottle of pills in his hand. “Alright,” he said. “Open your hands.” They immediately accepted with open hands as Medic gave them pills for their horrible headaches. Medic offered one to (y/n), who shook her head. “No headache for me,” she said. Sniper came in with a plate of bacon and eggs as he set them down in the middle. (y/n) headed back into the kitchen to grab the toasts and butter as she arrived. The cup of coffee and everything else was set in place as the rest of the team came pouring in. They took their seats until (y/n) noticed two things: Soldier and Engineer.

“Hey, where’s-” The sound of an explosion was heard coming from part of the base, causing the walls to rattle. The team ignored it as they began to set their plates up. Then, a burnt Soldier came around as he opened the door and greeted the team. “What an American day!” He yelled as he sat down next to Demo and Scout. (y/n) sighed as she realized that Engineer was the only one missing at this point. She grabbed a piece of toast as she placed some bacon and eggs on her plate. She poured herself a cup of coffee and started to eat her meal. As if on cue, the hardhat Texan walks in, wearing the same clothes as yesterday. “Good monrin’ y’all,” he said with a sleep accent. (y/n) looked up and saw his form. His goggles were on, but his voice signified his tiredness as one strap of his overall was hanging loosely over his shoulder. Scout looked up and snorted. “What happened to ya, got some last night or somethin’?” Heavy laughed in response as (y/n) kicked Scout from underneath the table, causing him to yelp. “Engie, did you stay up late last night?” She asked. Engineer sighed as he just grabbed a piece of toast. “’Nah, just didn’t sleep well last night.” He left it at that as he started to walk out of the room. (y/n) quickly set her silverware down as she got up and walked after him. Before he could turn the hall, she stopped him with a hand on her shoulder.

“Alright Engineer,” she said with concern in her voice. “What’s going on? We head to base and you go straight to your workshop, you skip out on bar night and I know how much you love having your beer, and now you’re not staying for breakfast and only having a piece of toast.” Engineer sighed and had a look of annoyance on his face. “(y/n), ah’ tell you one thing and it’s called how I’m fine. You don’t have to worry ‘bout me.” He tried to go, but she kept her hand around his shoulder. “No Engineer, what is going on? You’re clearly hiding something.” Engineer turned to her and pushed her hand off. “Darlin’, ah’ told ya once: I’m fine. I’m just busy workin’ on mah’ project. Now, go back to eatin’ your breakfast.” With that, he walked away, leaving (y/n) in the hall alone. Now (y/n) began annoyed with him: he brushed her off and expected her to leave him alone like nothing was happening. She huffed as she watched him turn the hall and disappear.

She returned to the dining hall and took her seat as some of the team watched her. She continued eating her breakfast, a sour look on her face as she quietly sipped her coffee. Sniper sat next to her as he ate his breakfast in silence as well. Medic started talking about his experiments to Heavy as the normal conversations came back to the table. Sniper turned his head a little to (y/n), who was looking down at her plate with one shoulder on the table as she rested her head against her head. “You alright, mate?” He asked her in a low voice. (y/n) sighed as she acknowledged him. “Well, not really. Engineer seems to be bitter through the break so far,” she said as she played around with the egg yolk, poking it with her fork until it broke. She watched as the yellow oozed out and traveled down the rest of the egg. Sniper placed another piece of egg in his mouth. “Ah, don’t worry about it. The lad is usually cranky when he’s tired, I wouldn’t worry about the man.” He said as he expressed some reassurance. (y/n) turned slightly and let out a small ‘okay’. Once she was finished, she picked up her plate and gathered around to pick up the plates. “Mademoiselle, you do not need to treat us like zhis,” Spy said as he gently took the plates out of her hands. “Please, allow me.” With that, he handed them to Scout, who yelled. “Hey, what the hell’s all this crap?” Spy turned to him. “Did you know that women love a man who cleans zhe plates? It seems zhat you stink at the job.” Scout shot straight up. “Yeah, of course I knew dat! I’ll show you who stinks at dat job!” Scout hurried to grab the plates and leftover as he rushed into the kitchen and cleaned the plates.

“Really Spy?” Spy gave her a small smirk. “What, it seems to be the only way to keep the boy moving.” He nodded his head as him and the team left to do their own things, leaving (y/n) alone in the dining room. She sighed as she glanced at the hall that she and Engineer were in earlier. “I know damn well there’s something going on, and I’m going to find out soon,” she thought as she left the room.


	3. Bonjour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the Red base is having their own break, the Blu Team are not happy with their defeat. As everyone leaves, Spy seems to become interested in (y/n): who was she and where was she from. Suddenly, he intrudes on Blu Engineer as he gets absorbed into his new plan.

Scowls and arguments were heard as the Blu team slammed down their weapons and put away their uniforms. “Unfreakin’ believable!” Scout yelled as he slammed his locker closed. “I can’t believe that fatass thinks he’s betta than me!” Medic growled as he threw his medigun on the floor. “I don’t see how hard it is to defend zhe point. You are all… dunnkofps!” Heavy yelled as he sat on a bench. “Ahh, Heavy mad at baby team!” Soldier paced around as he grabbed Scout by the collar. “You maggots didn’t even try, you Unamerican swine!” With that, he slammed Scout back on the bench. “What the hell, Soldier?! Maybe if you stopped shootin’ with your eyes closed, we woulda won!” Sniper said nothing as he lowered his hat. “I’ll tell ya wot, mate,” he finally said. “If it hadn’t been for that wanker, we would’ve been fine.” Medic scowled, thinking about how he died. “Yes, that SCHWEIUNDE! Zhat girl is somzhing else, she managed to get zhrough all of us, how?!” Medic growled as he struck Demo with his finger. “If you had stayed behind, ve vould’ve killed her in time!” Demo yelled, “Ayy wotch it, lad! It’s not my bloody fault that you couldn’t put a bullet in her!”

Then, Spy adjusted his suit as he lit another cigarette and sighed. “Gentlemen please calm down. We are starting to behave like little children right now, which is not helping the situation at all.” Medic growled as he went up to Spy. “Of course, you aren’t in zhe frontline you are sneaking Spy! You are alvays hiding in zhe back you dunnkopf! Do somzhing useful for once.” With that, he stormed off and slammed the door shut, causing the room to rattle and the lockers to shake. Spy rubbed his head as he held his cigarette. Scout continued to protest at how it was not his fault until Heavy smacked him, tired of hearing him talk. Engineer walked in last as he placed some of his things away. “Anything to say, cowboy?” Spy asked as he looked at Engineer, who said nothing. “Let’s face it boys, we lost. We’ll get them next time.” Then, he left the room and disappeared. The team began to disband, leaving one by one out of the room and doing their own thing, leaving Spy alone in the room.

He grumbled as he took a long drag from his cigarette and went to go to his room. Like the team, he was upset, but he did not want to admit his foolish defeat from the water tower. He could not believe it; ever since that girl entered, the team has been struggling to win. They used to be the winning team, they used to win almost every week and watch the Red run away as they soaked in their victory. Now, the Red team is always kicking their butts and they can only get a few wins. The girl whom they called (y/n) was the star of the team as she was a fighter. She was one of the hardest members to get rid of when facing a challenge. The Blu Spy considered her a fierce and deadly weapon, kind of like how he was supposed to be. He saw how she brutally took down their Medic and he was more impressed at the fact that she was able to take out both Spy and Sniper by herself. He could not even believe at how she did that with several bad wounds on her body. He took another smoke as he was deep in thought. “It seems she was heavily trained,” he thought. “She seemed to come out of nowhere and landed here for some reason, but why?”

As he kept walking, he managed to pass an open door when he heard the soft sound of a voice. “Dag nabit, what in sam-hill are you doin’…” Spy recognized it as the Engineer. Spy was usually the one to not give a care about other people’s business, but for some reason he had the desire to lean his head in to see what was going on. Looking through the open door, he saw Engineer looking out a window; however, he was not just simply looking out the window. Engineer was holding something up to his face as he gazed out into the dark night. Spy looked closer and saw that he was holding binoculars as he stared out. This perked Spy’s interest as he glanced at the window. He realized that Engineer was pointing his direction at part of the Red base as he wrote down a few things on a piece of paper. Engineer would look down and mumble a few things under his breath.

Spy decided to make his presence known as he knocked on the door. Engineer stopped and quickly whipped around to see who was there. “Looking for someone?” He asked as he puffed his cigarette again. Usually, Engineer would get upset at someone buzzing in and snooping around, but he just stared at him for a moment before telling him to come in. Spy was surprised as he stepped in and closed the door behind him. He realized that the room was dark without the small light coming from the lighted hallway. As he was about to turn on the light, Engineer spoke. “Keep it off, son.” He said in a low voice as he continued to stare out the window. Spy gave him a look as he walked over to him. “What is all this, Engineer?” The Texan turned to him before he handed him the binoculars. “Take a look and see who it is.” Spy slowly placed the binoculars to his eyes as he stared at the target.

At first, he saw nothing but the tall wooden building of the Red base as a few lights were on and some of the members were seen through drinking and doing their own business. He felt unamused as he saw the Red Demoman swing another drink. Why on earth would Engineer be interested in the team’s free time? As he was about to say how Engineer was wasting his time, he spotted something in the corner. He moved his head to see a small platform connecting to the main building. The Red Engineer was hauling a box of supplies as he wiped his head from the sheer weight of it. In the box was items that were oddly shaped with some even glowing. Spy looked closer as he saw the Engineer looking around, as if he would get in trouble if he were caught, before taking the box and hauling it to the other building and disappearing behind a wall. Spy looked away from the binoculars and turned to Blu Engineer.

“So, there is something going on here after all.” He handed the binoculars back to Engineer as he watched him pull out more papers. “Ah’ no it’s our day off for now, but…” he said as he unraveled a few pictures and written papers on the small table next to him. “Ah’ reckon we have some work that ah’ think will help both of us,” he said as he handed him the pictures. Spy raised an eyebrow as he grabbed them and looked through him. Most of the pictures had the Red Engineer doing his work; but the pictures showed certain things he was doing (no, not that thing. Sorry fanfiction lovers, we’re not there yet). He seemed to be ordering specific materials and supplies from the usual Mann Co. shippers, but they were advanced things that they have never seen before. Spy flipped through a few to see the Engineer gathering more things: watches, glowing wires, and objects that he has never seen before. Spy looked up at Engineer and handed him back the pictures. “So, why the Engineer?” Blu Engineer opened the papers to show theories. “Well, ah’ noticed that the Engineer has been workin’ more than usual and I reckon that he’s up to somethin’ big. Ah’ didn’t mind at first, until ah’ saw the materials he’s been gettin’ lately.” He said as he explained the materials. “These supplies are off the markets around the world and the tech he’s usin’ is far beyond what we use now. Ah’ even asked Mann Co. about the materials, but they said that they have no idea what the hell it is. But, ah’ have a theory, a big theory boy.”

Spy took another huff before glancing back at the base. “Since it seems so important, may I ask what this ‘theory’ of yours is?” Engineer looked at the door before he told Spy: “Ah’ time machine.” Spy gave him a strange look. “A time machine you say?” Engineer gave him an unamused look. “No boy, ah’ mean a new combine for the cows. Of course ah’ mean a time machine.” Engineer turned away and stared out the window. “Ah’ know that false Texan got a plan for his team, but ah’ intend to get that thing first. That’s why ah’ need your help, son.” He turned back to Spy, who was twirling his cigarette around. “So, you want me to sneak into their base and steal the ‘time machine’?” Engineer nodded his head. “Now, it’s obvious ah’ haven’t seen this time machine, but ah’ figure it will be easy to steal if you have any trouble.” Spy thought for a moment before giving the Texan a small nod. “And what about the intelligence?” Engineer said, “Well, you can steal that anytime ‘cause ah’ don’t care about that. You can do whatever you want there as long as you get that machine, boy.”

Spy turned and thought more about the plan. If he were going to sneak into the Red base, the least he could do for himself is snoop around and take the intel. Besides, taking the intel could give them an advantage for the next match when the weekend was over; but he thought of something else. He might stay there at the Red base for a little longer to do some… looking around. He started to find this as an opportunity to find out more about the girl and her origin. “Alright,” said Spy, “I will accept zhis… offer. But, how will I sneak in? Of course, I could do the usual; but that damn Spy seems to be on the lookout in his free time.”

Engineer thought for a moment before he turned to look at another piece of paper. “During our last battle, ah’ managed to place a teleporter in their base without any of them noticin’. Ah’ built the other one in mah’ workshop, so you can easily sneak through without em’ noticin’ ya. The teleporter is placed on a small side beside the base; they didn’t place a camera there, those suckers.” Spy nodded his head as he gave a small smirk. “Alright cowboy,” he said, “I do not usually participate in these events, but zhis is interesting.” Engineer gave out a low chuckle as he placed the papers away. “There ya go, son. Now that’s the spirit,” he said as he packed up his box. “Now, I’m gonna teleport with you to the base tomorrow at night. We’re gonna sneak you in when all those little birds are asleep.” Spy glanced out the window and blew another puff of smoke as it danced along the window and disappeared into the air. “Indeed,” he said in agreement. With that, Engineer tipped his head and left the room to go to his workshop, leaving Spy alone.

Spy stayed there for a few minutes before he stared at the Red base again. However, he turned his head to find that the binoculars were still there. “Hm, he must have forgot to put zhem away.” He thought. Spy slowly picked up the binoculars before inspecting the Red base again. He looked closely at the windows shining through the night as the men, who were unaware of being watched, were laughing, cheering, and drinking as they carried on their usual activities. Spy let out a tsk as he glanced over to a window farther away from the main building as the light shined brightly out in the night.

He saw a figure appear at the window as the glass doors slid up, revealing a girl wearing a soft sweater and shorts as she gazed out into the open, greeting the soft wind that picked up and blew her loose hair out of her face. Spy recognized it as (y/n) as she sat upon the windowsill with a small book, opening it and reading through the text. The Spy glued his binoculars on her as he watched her in her peaceful state of mind. If he did not know her, he would have seen her as an innocent woman who took peace as she sat near the window and gazed out into the world with the book of wonders in her delicate hands. However, he knew that she was dangerous and not to be tampered with. Sure, she was beautiful and different from the women he played with, but he could not help but smirk at her. She was feisty when it came to objectives and getting the job done. Suddenly, she stopped reading and glanced up to find herself staring at his direction.

Now, Spy was covered by the darkness, except for the light from his cigarette. He quickly turned away and hid himself from view as he slowly stuck his head out from the window, feeling that she saw him from far away. It would have been somewhat impossible for her to see him, but it still felt like she could. He stared as she continued to gaze from afar at the small window. He waited patiently for her to turn away. “Could she see from that far? Impossible,” he thought as he watched her.

…

(y/n) sighed as she closed the door to her room and grabbed a book. The lovely climate of Arizona reigned upon her: the day gave way to heat waves, dust, hot weather, and humid air. It was strange how it could change when the night hit as the weather turned to winds and cold nights for the most part. She snuggled into her sweater that she had as she remembered. The sweater was given to her as a gift when she was hiding in a small village in Russia. She lived in a small cottage and helped the village during the cold winters month as she trudged out to catch food and defend them from the large bears that came along. An old lady had given her shelter when she arrived and made food for her, though (y/n) would insist that she could take care of herself. However, (y/n) had to move away when a group of bounty hunters arrived and started to interrogate the village for her whereabouts. At that moment, (y/n) took them out and had to move to another country before they sent more of their comrades. Before she left that day, the old lady sewed a sweater for her to care for her during the cold winter months. She could still remember the face of the genuine elder as she gave (y/n) a small hug as the cold wind hit her face. She still remembered how she was sad to see the young girl go as she gave her a kiss on the head before she disappeared into the cold snow.

(y/n) sighed as she grabbed a book from the shelf beside her bed. She looked out and opened the window, allowing a soft breeze to caress her face. She breathed in the fresh air as she sighed and sat against the windowsill and opened her book to read. However, she could not really focus on the task at hand as she found herself staring out the window multiple times. She felt that she was being watched as she continued to read her book, furrowing her eyebrows. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face before she could not help but turn away and stare out into the open.

The Blu base was across from the Red base as the tall and concrete building contrasted with the red desert. In her opinion, it was funny at how the Blu preferred to be more industrial while the Red was more like a barn with the wooden structures and blended in more with the desert. Though the bases were quite far from each other, her eyes traveled up a certain window that seemed to stand out from the rest. Most of the windows were dark as she assumed that the team members were asleep by now. But that one window… She squinted her eyes as she thought that she saw the tiniest light glowing in the dark. “Is that… a cigarette?” She thought as she leaned her head forward. She blinked and the light disappeared from the window as if it were never there. (y/n) rubbed her eye a little as she glanced at the window again. For some reason, she felt that she was being watched. She reassured herself that she was probably becoming paranoid as she slowly turned her attention back to the book she was reading. “Maybe it’s because I’m upset about the whole Engineer thing,” she thought as she continued to scan the pages and ignoring the feeling of watchful eyes from afar.

…

Spy sighed as the girl looked away from his direction and focused on her book again. He put his cigarette out as he stared out for a few minutes before he decided to leave the room. He walked down the hall as he retired to his quarters. He shut the door as he was greeted by the cold fireplace and the moonlight lighting his room. He lit a match and threw it in the fireplace as the flames slowly ate at the wood before starting to grow larger. Spy walked to his small bar and grabbed a drink as he filled his cup with the soft liquid of his drink and sat himself down in his chair, looking at the flames eating away at the wood. He watched as the flames danced and collided with each other as they brought warmth throughout the room. He smirked to himself as he gave out a low chuckle, feeling prepared for what was to come tomorrow.


	4. Suspicions Arise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is a new day at the base as the team bustles around. All is great so far except for (y/n) as a new issue rises to the challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are enjoying the chapter so far. I couldn't help but add more conflict in here to spice things up for the fanfiction works. This will anger some readers if they have interest for a certain character ;). Anyway, enjoy.

Saturday hits as the base comes to life. Scout goes outside to practice using his bat as Soldier marches around the base. Meanwhile, Pyro is skipping around using his lighter and playing with a stuffed toy. Sniper is outside his camper as he sharpens his machete while Heavy sits in the kitchen eating his sandwich. Since the team had nothing else to do for today, they decided to prepare for the upcoming week for another match against the Blu. The new match that was approaching involved the team having to pack their bags and take a trip to one of Saxton Hale’s parks. At first, he built the park to establish a zoo for yetis, which did not really make sense. However, the yetis were killed off by Saxton Hale and his love for punching animals to the brink of extinction. He started to complain about how he was going to make money and entertainment until he turned to the mercenaries, which gave him an idea. From then on, the mercenaries traveled to the park for matches, payloads, and so on.

(y/n) slid down the stairs as she walked to the kitchen. She spotted Heavy sitting down eating his sandwich. “What’s up big guy?” She asked when she passed him, giving him a small pat on the back as she made her way to the fridge. Heavy chewed through his sandwich and gulped. “Khorosho (Good) little one. How are you?” (y/n) grabbed a soda as she nodded her head. “I’m okay, but I could be doing better.” She opened the cap and started drinking her soda, taking the seat across from Heavy, who continued to enjoy his precious sandwich. “So, what’s up?” (y/n)e asked as she enjoyed her drink. Heavy thought for a moment. “I am training later with Sasha,” he said. (y/n) gave a quiet giggle at the name he gave his gun. “Man, he loves that gun so much,” she thought. She was looking for a way to bring up a conversation until a thought came to her head.

“Hey Heavy, do you have any family?” Heavy stopped eating for a moment, making her think she said something wrong. He set his sandwich down and swallowed his food before talking. “Da, they are all living in Russia,” he said. (y/n) sighed, not wanting to ruin anyone’s day. For some members, bringing up conversations about family was an issue to some people. Scout had trouble with his family, coming from a home with so many brothers who pushed him around, beat him up, and having a father who disappeared when he was born. She did not even know if Medic or Spy had a family at all, since Medic never talked about it and Spy did not usually bring it up. For (y/n), she did not have anyone left except for her father, who wanted her dead, so why bother considering him family?

“So, do you have any siblings or parents?” (y/n) asked in a friendly manner. Heavy nodded his head. “I have three younger sisters in my family: Zhanna, Yana, and Bronislava. They live together in Russia with my mother.” His face seemed to brighten as he thought about his family. “They are doing well in Russia, but I still keep in touch.” (y/n) gave a smile as she saw his mood. “Wow, it must be a lot being the only boy in the family, huh?” Heavy gave a smile before he shook his head. “A little bit, I did a lot for sisters: braid their hair, looking after them, and hunting for bear. I love my sisters,” he said. (y/n) nodded her head as she listened to him talk about his family. “Wow, they seem very nice. I hope I can visit them someday,” she said. Heavy looked at her and gave her a genuine smile. “I visit them next week; you can come with me if you want. I take Medic to see them, but you can come instead.” (y/n) blinked for a moment, surprised at the offer. According to Medic, Heavy always talked about his family and thought highly of them, but he only talked to Medic about this. So, (y/n) felt honored at the opportunity.

“Wow, thank you Heavy. I’m thankful for you inviting me to visit your family,” she said. Heavy gave a smile as he took another bite of his sandwich. “I think it’s time that you meet family; my sisters have seen Sniper, Spy, and Medic, but not you yet. I think my mother will like you.” (y/n) thought for a moment as she felt her cheeks warm up. For someone to invite you to meet their family is considered a huge honor; it meant that they thought you were worthy enough to meet the people most important to them and most likely thought highly of you. In her lifetime, (y/n) had very few friends in her life, since she was constantly on the move and covering her tracks, nor did she ever have a significant other for the same matter. Even so, they did not ask her to meet their parents, but she knew that it was a big deal when one meets them for the first time. She also knew that when you were dating someone, meeting each other’s parents meant a few things.

As (y/n) was about to say something else, the busy doctor entered the room as he spoke. “Hallo Heavy, I seem to need-” He stopped when he noticed (y/n) in front of Heavy. “Ah, guten morgen (y/n)!” He said in a cheery voice. (y/n) gave a wave while Heavy gave a small smile. “Hello Medic,” she said. Heavy asked, “What is it, doctor?” Medic fixed his coat. “Vell, I vas going to need your help for anozher experiment…” Heavy’s face fell a bit as he became a bit nervous. “… but I zhink I vill need (y/n) for zhis one.” He looked at (y/n), waiting for her response. (y/n) hesitated for a moment. She was not too sure about helping Medic with his “experiments”, as they usually involved with removing organs and replacing them with animal ones, replacing hearts to be effective for übercharge, and so on. But (y/n) did like helping Medic out because she was able to learn a few things about medicine even though he lost his medical license. She liked learning new things and some of his teachings even saved her life, like when he taught her how to suture if she had an open wound during battle if he was not there to save her.

“Sure thing,” she finally said. Medic gave a wide toothy smile as he beckoned her to follow him. She got up and said goodbye to Heavy before walking next to Medic as they made their way to the lab. “So, what are we doing this time?” She asked. Medic simply said, “Ve are going to experiment with… brains.” (y/n) gave a questioning look. “Brains?” “Yes, zhat’s vhat I said, ja?” (y/n) was not so sure about this one. As they entered the lab, (y/n)’s eyes immediately landed on multiple jars of brains. The brains were floating in the green preserved liquid as they bobbed up and down in a slow rhythm. The sight of it gave (y/n) a nervous laugh. “Medic, you said we were experimenting with brains…” Medic nodded his head as he looked at her. “Am… I going to be the subject?” Medic gave out a laugh. “No, of course not my dear,” he said. “No, no, no. You are going to help me experiment on someone else.” (y/n) let out a sigh of relief as she walked to the wall and placed her own lab coat on. “Okay then, so what are we going to do?”

Medic placed his gloves on as he walked to the counter with the jars. “Vell, I vant to see vhat happens vhen I put a brain in different areas of zhe human body? Vill it grow and connect, adapt, or vill it die? The practice of medicine goes far and beyond my dear!” “I’m pretty sure that’s not how anatomy works…” (y/n) thought as she made a mental note to herself. She adjusted her own gloves and made her way to him. “So, if I’m not going to be the subject, then who is?” “Ah, I am glad zhat you asked,” he said as he walked into another room as the sound of a stretcher was heard. Then, a sleeping Soldier was wheeled out by Medic as he moved the stretcher to the middle of the room and locked it in place. (y/n) gulped as she felt sorry for Soldier not knowing what was going on once he woke up from his slumber.

Medic noticed her distress as he gave her a reassuring smile. “Ah, do not vorry frau; the sedative zhat I gave him vill knock him out for hours!” (y/n) gave a nervous laughter and straightened herself out. “Alright then, where do we start?” Medic brought out his dangerous-looking medical equipment as he rubbed his hands together.” “So, ve start with zhis…”

…

“Hmm, it seems zhe brain is adapting vell in his arm,” Medic said as he poked at the brain in the arm of Soldier, who was still asleep. (y/n) stood next to Medic as she held the arm open for him. “Interesting,” she said as she looked at the active brain. It seemed to attach to Soldier’s arm as it started to work the arm on its own accord. “Another successful procedure!” Medic exclaimed as he gave one of his signature laughs. (y/n) gave a slight chuckle as she gazed at the brain piece. Then, Medic reached and placed his hands around hers that were keeping the arm open. (y/n) looked up at Medic, who seemed to stop laughing. “I’ll hold it perle (pearl) and you can try to add anozher piece in by yourself.” “Oh,” she said. “Okay then.”

With that, (y/n) reached to grab brain tissue as she grabbed her needle and thread. “Are you sure this is how it works, Medic?” Medic nodded his head. “Ja, if it vorked for me, it should vork for you too.” (y/n) glanced down at the arm and slowly added the piece as she stitched it on. “Yes, zhat’s it.” Medic said as he watched her suture the pieces in place as the brain attachment was complete. “Vell done, frau!” He exclaimed as she finished. “You have very stable hands vhen it comes to surgery.” (y/n) gave a small smile. “Eh, I guess I do have stable hands.” “You vould make a very good doctor,” he said as he let go of Soldier’s arm. He brought out new thread as he started to stitch his arm together. (y/n) sighed as she took her gloves off and disposed them in the garbage. “Thank you for teaching me about the brain,” (y/n) said as Medic finished patching up the arm. “Oh, no problem mein schatz.” He turned around with a syringe in his hand as he injected it into Soldier, who immediately woke up. “I’ll take down every last communist scum-” He paused for a moment as he took notice of his surroundings. “Uhh…” Medic quickly sat him up from the table. “Good my friend, you are still alive.” Soldier was confused until Medic quickly pushed him out of the room. “Enjoy your new arm!” He said as he closed the doors to the lab, leaving a very confused Soldier with an involuntary arm.

(y/n) sighed as she took off her lab coat and set it on the hanger as Medic washes his hands in the sink. (y/n) found the experiment to be fun and interesting from the things she learned, but she still could not understand how a man like Medic was able to be a normal doctor to be a homicidal maniac at times. She wonders if something ever happened to him in his later years that made him end up the way he did sometimes. “I learned a lot today thanks to you Medic, and the experiment wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” she said as she took her medical mask off. “Well, I better get going. I’m hitting the shooting range to practice for the next-”

She felt a presence behind her as she turned around to find Medic standing there staring at her. (y/n) turned her body fully as she watched him adjust his glasses. “Vell schatz, you are alvays velcome to come here anytime you vant,” he said as he slowly walked to her. Unsure of what to do, she slowly took a step back to maintain some distance until her back hit the counter. “What is he doing?” (y/n) asked as he stepped closer to her. “I vould enjoy it more if you came here often liebe,” he said as he placed a hand on the counter behind her. “Umm… yeah, sure.” (y/n) said as she felt her cheeks flare up a little.

Now, (y/n) had always taught herself to fight if any situation were to happen where she would have to resort to violence. As she traveled around the world, she found herself learning different styles of fighting from tae kwon do, to judo, to kickboxing and other self-defense styles. She had plenty of moments where she had a situation under control, and by that she means resolving with kicks and broken skulls on the ground. (y/n) has the fight-or-flight situations under control, but social situations was a different story. Granted, there were times where she had some romance start to develop in her life, but it only reached a point where it was “hey, I like you and you like me too” and then one simple kiss, which would end there. She did not really go far in anything, hell, she did not even have a real relationship since she was always busy and running. But make no mistake, she has seen some romantic movies and how the situation goes; but watching a situation is different from being in the situation as she started to feel something… shyness.

Since when has (y/n) been shy in anything? She was a fighter for god sake’s, a mercenary, and a badass, which she believed herself to be (gotta give the reader some confidence, there you go). But now, it seemed to retreat into a cave she never knew was there. Now, she felt… vulnerable, mushy, and weak? No, it had to be impossible, but it was happening right here and right now. “You know schatz,” Medic said as he interrupted her thoughts. She felt her cheeks on fire as he leaned closer and placed his other hand on the counter, enclosing her in his arms. “I know I said zhis before, but I must say it again: you vould make a very good doctor.” (y/n) heard herself give out a nervous laugh as she grasped the counter with her hands. “Oh, really? Ha, of c-course…” Medic let out an approved hum before he gave another look at her. (y/n) stared back as she tried to decipher his expression. His eyes… they seemed brighter than before. There were no bad intentions in them, but there was something… like… adoration, warmth?

She could not really focus on what he was feeling as she felt one of his hands move onto hers and grasp it a bit. “Vell, zhere are a few other zhings zhat I have been meaning to say,” he said. At this point, (y/n) felt a little like jelly as she felt his hand give hers a small squeeze of reassurance, but it was still not helping. The words “uh huh” was all she managed to say as he leaned a little closer. He must have been centimeters away from her face as she smelt lemon, probably from the cough drops he takes sometimes. “I cannot help but stare at you vhenever you go. At first, I zhought it vas nozhing until… I could not get you out of my head. Vhen I see you out on zhat field, you are alvays fighting with fire in your eyes, with pride. But here, you show us kindness and concern for us. You take care of us even zhough ve are not good people at all. And having you as a partner in medicine is noch besser (even better).” (y/n) felt at awe between what Medic was saying and nervous at what was happening.

Before he could say anything else, (y/n) heard footsteps coming from the hall. Panic suddenly consumed her conscious as she thought of the many situations that could happen. Not that she disliked Medic or had the desire to reject him, but it was the fact she had a hunch that Medic was probably not the only one with these “feelings”. Now that she thought about it, she started to see a similar pattern among some of the men in the base. Yes, she started to see how this worked. Her mind flipped back to the conversation she and Heavy were having when he offered to take her to visit his mother. That left two things: he was either introducing her because she was a good friend of his, or it was because he had an interest in her. This idea caused her mind to turn gears as she steered to another issue: friendship and mutual relationships.

Now, she worked hard in earning the team’s trust and developing friendships throughout her time in the base. She befriended Engineer because he was willing to accept her as an acquaintance and made sure she was comfortable being at the base, which was surrounded by men. Then, she befriended Scout later because they were roughly around the same age and that one time, she saved him from being chopped liver. (y/n) worked so hard and started to care for the team as she saw them as… a sort of family for her. Her and the team have experienced many things together: happiness, laughter, fun, and kindness. However, one thing that they have not experienced together was love. Like before, she never established a committed relationship or anything, especially in the base. Now that she was aware of Medic’s interest in her, she had to think about something: if Medic did have an interest in her and there were other members that had the same interest, it would surely hurt the other, and (y/n) was not the one to hurt her dearest friends.

It is not that (y/n) did not hate the Medic and she can admit that she admires the man, but she also admires Sniper, she admires Scout, she admires Spy, and so on. She admires all the members of the team, each having their different quality and traits, but she also admired their friendship more. She did not want to ruin anyone else and the thought of having a team member heartbroken because of her was not something she was ready for yet. There was a time and place for everything but having a mercenary life and a love life mixed together was not the right time for many reasons.

As (y/n) heard the footsteps coming near, she quickly pulled her hand away from Medic’s as she brought them up to his chest and gave him a push before the person who came in could see the position the two were in. The door opened to reveal Sniper, who wore his usual attire with his signature hat. “Hello,” he said as he looked at the two members. Medic, who was shocked at what happened, said nothing as he stared at (y/n). She tried her best to ignore his gaze as she felt guilt running through her. “I’m sorry Medic,” she thought as she gave Sniper a bright smile. “Well hello Sniper, it’s nice to see you out of your camper for once.” Sniper glanced at Medic and gave him a confused look as he saw him looking at (y/n). “Is everything alroight in here?” He asked. Medic quickly turned to him and gave him a wave with his hands. “No, everyzhing is alright.” With that, he quickly turned to leave as he turned to walk through another door that led to his office, leaving (y/n) standing there while Sniper stood at the doorway.

“Don’t know wot that was,” Sniper mumbled before turning his attention back to (y/n). Her smile seemed to falter as she felt the guilt consume her more. She did not want to do that, but it was for the sake of everyone. (y/n) straightened herself out as she tried to ignore the feeling. “So, Sniper, what brings you here?” Sniper cocked his head to the side to indicate something. “The A/C in the camper broke down, it’s starting to feel like the Australian desert.” (y/n) asked, “Sure thing, but… why didn’t you ask Engineer?” “Mate said he was too busy.” The thought of Engineer and his work came back as her face fell for a moment. “Oh, well I’ll be glad to help,” she said as she walked out the door with Sniper following behind.

As they were making their way out, she and Sniper mostly kept silence. Sniper kept looking forward as he placed a hand in his pocket, fiddling with a spare bullet. (y/n) said nothing as she kept staring at the walls, as if it were more interesting, but she was thinking about Medic. She saw the hurt that etched upon his face and his hands shaking after what she did, but the worst thing about it were his eyes: they showed so much emotion that she could not bare to look at him anymore. The thought of Medic distracted her from Demoman who was walking down the hall. Suddenly, (y/n) crashed into the drunk man as she fell back from the impact. She rubbed her back as she quickly stood up with the Demoman getting annoyed at the impact since he was drunk as always. “Oye lassie, you be careful of where you go you…” “Oi mate, it was an accident,” Sniper said as he offered her a hand. “You alroight?” (y/n) slowly nodded her head, not meeting his gaze. “Yes, I think.” She turned to Demoman. “I’m sorry, I guess I was distracted there for a minute.” She and Sniper continued walking until they were outside in the hot blazing heat with the sun shining brightly. The camper was already parked near the base with the door open.

“I already checked the filter, but it seems fine to me,” said Sniper. (y/n) thought for a moment before she went to the front of the van. “If it’s not the filter, then it’s probably the AC compressor.” (y/n) popped open the hood of the car to reveal the old engine of the camper. She was able to locate the compressor and saw something odd about it. The AC compressor looked somewhat like another engine with a pulley wrapped around it and a clutch. However, the pulley seemed out of place and the clutch was broken. “Oh, I see your problem. Did you bring a toolbox with you?” She asked Sniper. Sniper nodded and climbed into the van. He came out with a box of tools and held it as she took a few out of them. (y/n) started to put the pulley back in place as she attempted to fix the clutch. “Gee Sheila, you know your stuff.” (y/n) gave a small laugh as she secured the pulley on the compressor. “Well, only the basics when it comes to vehicles. I’m not a mechanic or Engineer.” She stopped talking as she finally fixed the clutch and wiped her hands off from the grease in the car.

“All done, your AC should be running good as new.” She closed the hood of the camper as she turned to Sniper. “Thanks mate, I really appreciate it.” He placed the toolbox back inside the camper as she wiped her hands off with a spare rag. The afternoon came by quickly as the sun grew bigger. (y/n) started to feel sweat form on her face as she brushed her sticky hair out of the way. Sniper poked his head out of the van as (y/n) was about to leave. “See you later, Sniper.” “Wait,” he said, causing her to turn her head. “Yes?” Sniper beckoned her to the van. “The AC is working and it’s hot outside mate, don’t you want to come in?” (y/n) sighed as she glanced up at the sun. It was getting hotter by the minute. “Sure,” she said as she walked back to the van and climbed inside with Sniper turning up the AC more. “Thanks,” she said as she sat in the passenger seat, feeling the cool air from the fans hit her face. Sniper sat as he slugged in the driver’s seat, adjusting his sunglasses back.

It was silent for a while; hell, it felt like forever for (y/n) until he spoke first. “There’s somethin’ on your mind, Sheila.” (y/n) turned to see him staring out the desert. “What, no I’m quite fine-” “You looked flustered when I walked into that bay,” he said as he finally turned to stare at her. (y/n) stayed silent when he said that. He turned his whole body to face her. “Ya know, you can talk to me about it if ya want.” (y/n) lowered her eyes as she started to rub her arm. “I mean…” Sniper placed a hand on her shoulder. “Look Sheila, if you are embarrassed about talking to me about wot’s on yer mind, then that’s fine. But just so you know; whatever you say now will stay with me,” he said with slight concern. (y/n) thought for a moment before she gave a sigh and turned out the window.

“Well, there’s been a few things on my mind and… one of them is Medic.” Sniper said nothing as he continued to listen. She kept going. “He… I guess he… confessed to me…” Sniper raised his eyebrow. “Confessed wot?” (y/n) grew a little nervous. “W-Well… he confessed that… he… liked me?” Sniper grew silent for a moment before he asked, “And that bothers ya?” (y/n) slowly nodded her head. “Why Sheila?” “It’s not the fact that I don’t like him, it’s just that I didn’t think it was fair to everyone else,” she said as she turned away and hugged herself, resting her head against the seat. “Sniper, I don’t even think it’s the time to choose who I want and who I don’t want. You guys are my friends, hell you guys are like my family. I don’t know what would happen if I had to choose one over the other just because one confessed his feelings.” Sniper thought for a moment. “So, wot else happened?” (y/n) closed her eyes as she felt guilt wash over her again. “I mean… I pushed him off before you came in. I felt bad because he looked… hurt. I didn’t want to, but I felt that I had to.” “Well Sheila, did you think it was the roight thing?” “I-I guess…” Sniper shook his head. “That’s not a good answer, it’s either a yes or no.” (y/n) thought for a moment before she said slowly, “Yes…” Sniper nodded his head. “Then, ya did the roight thing mate. Don’t get so worked up about it.” (y/n) shook her head. “But he’s hurt-” “(y/n),” he said with a somewhat serious voice. He grabbed both her shoulders and completely faced her, making sure her eyes were on him.

“Look mate, from what I see: you’re already makin’ sacrifices for the team. You mate, are putting your team first before yourself and honestly, that’s bloody amazing. It shows that you care about all of us rather than just one person, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care for yourself. You should have a choice and you should put yourself first too, Sheila.” (y/n) stared at him for a moment before she glanced down. “So, what do I do now?” Sniper took a hand off to fix his hat. “Well, oi say give the doctor a break. Oi know he can be unstable at times, so oi suggest you stay back until he feels better.” (y/n) gave a small nod before she turned her attention back to the hot desert, feeling the AC kick up a notch. She felt Sniper wrap an arm around her shoulder and rub it. “It’s going to be okay, mate.” He said quietly as he stared at the desert. (y/n) gave a small smile. “Thanks, Sniper.” “Don’t mention it,” he said.

They stayed like that for a few moments before Sniper spoke again. “Now that we are alone…” he suddenly turned to her again, making (y/n) look. “What is it?” “Remember how you mentioned about the Engineer at breakfast?” (y/n) gave a small nod as her look changed. “What about him?” “I was walkin’ around the base when oi saw him rushing to get to his shop. He looked kind of nervous and… suspicious like you said,” he said with a serious voice. (y/n)’s head perked up as she listened to this. “So, what happened?” Sniper reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue piece of paper. It looked like it belonged to one of Engineer’s blueprints that he kept around in his workshop. “When he was walkin’ to his workshop, he dropped a piece of paper and I don’t think he noticed.” He handed it to her. “Oi don’t know much about engineering or science, but oi thought you would know.” (y/n) grabbed the paper and slowly opened it.

The first thing that caught her eye was the equation that was on the paper. She scanned it as she recognized the equation. “This is… Einstein’s equation?” Sniper gave her a shrug. “Loike I said, oi don’t know much about science.” (y/n) glanced over it again and saw other equations, but she only recognized that first one. “Did you ever talk to Engie about what he was doing?” “Oi tried asking the fella wot he was workin’ on, but he seemed to dodge the topic and switch to something else and left.” (y/n) rubbed her head. “So, what do you think he’s up to?” Sniper thought for a moment. “Oi don’t know mate, but oi think it’s somethin’ big. He doesn’t even want us to ask him about it.” (y/n) looked down at the equation again. She tried to remember about Einstein’s equation. “If I remember correctly, Einstein’s equation related to physics, but it also related to something else…” she thought as she tried to recall about the man.

Suddenly, it clicked. “Einstein’s equation was based on time travel.” Sniper looked at her with a look of realization. “(y/n), you don’t think the bugger’s makin’ a…” “A time machine?” (y/n) finished his question as she looked back at the equation. “But, that’s impossible mate.” “Yes, it’s also impossible to make a teleporter, right?” She said with a bit of sarcasm. “Look mate, oi don’t know my stuff, but a time machine is a different thing. You can’t make that with wot we have, we probably don’t even have the things for it,” Sniper said with an unbelievable expression. “I know, but this is Engineer we’re talking about Sniper. The man is literally a god in his work, why wouldn’t he build a time machine? Hell, I don’t think it’s that far from the schematics for a teleporter, right?” (y/n) thought for a moment. “There’s no way it has to be a time machine, right? I mean, we don’t even have the things to build one… but then again, Medic invented the medigun and Engineer made a teleporter so…”

(y/n) turned to Sniper. “I’m going to find out myself,” she finally said. Sniper looked at her. “How, Engineer won’t even let you into his shop.” “I’m not going to ask him,” she said, “I’m going to sneak in when he’s gone.” Sniper gave her an incredulous look. “(y/n), the man won’t even come out of his room most of the time, how are you going to sneak in?” (y/n) thought for a moment before she said, “We’re just going to have to coax him out somehow. Let’s see…” She started developing a plan in her head. “We could just break one of the teleporters or we could damage the generator or something.” Sniper said, “If we are going to make a mess, then it has to be a big one so it can ya time to sneak around.” (y/n) nodded her head. “Okay then, how about you damage the teleporters and get his attention. When he leaves the room, I’ll sneak in and start to look around for the time machine. We can use the earpieces so I know where he is before I can leave.” Sniper nodded. “Alroight, mate.” With that, they left the van and headed back inside to start their plan.


	5. Ticking Bomb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the plan is put in place, (y/n) starts to doubt her suspicions as she scouts the room. However, a certain person is unhappy about their discovery as one thing leads to another as the Blu plan is put to action.

“Come on…” He lifted his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he continued working on a stubborn piece of his project. “Yes, that’s it.” He said as he attached one piece to another as the sound of metal against metal sounded through the small workshop. Engineer was so proud of the project he was finally able to work on as he was a few steps closer to completing it. However, he was not so sure to tell the team about this one. Sure, he created the teleporter and the dispenser for the team to use to their liking, but the thought of someone like Scout or Soldier getting their hands on this project made him scared, considering Scout was a reckless being and Soldier was just… stupid. Besides, he did not think that it would work until he tested it out, so it was just a prototype for now.

He stopped working as his hand cramped from working for hours upon end. “Dag nabit,” he said as he grabbed his hand and slowly massaged it. He looked around the room and sighed as he glanced at the clock. “2:00 pm,” he muttered. It has been five hours since he ate, and he skipped lunch time with the team. He figured that he could just pick up lunch later from the kitchen when everyone was doing their own thing, especially (y/n).

The thought of (y/n) overcame him as he grumbled at the thought. She started to get on his gears when she kept asking him what was going on. She seemed to catch on quickly about his sudden change of behavior, to which he kept assuring her that it was nothing special, yet the hard girl kept insisting. He did not hate (y/n), not one bit. He cannot recall a time where he shooed her away and threw insults at her, but she was getting on his nerves, especially now since he was running on three to four hours of sleep and minimum food. Engineer sighed as he slumped in his chair for a while. He knew that he should stop and take a break, but he was going through a breakthrough that would make things different. Hell, he would probably be the first person to ever make this prototype. He finally had the equations for it and the materials in making this contraption, and there was no time for breaks when it came to discover something like this.

A knock on the door startled him a bit as he heard a male voice. “Mate, we need ya help.” He recognized it as Sniper with a voice of… urgency? “Son, ah’m kind of busy here.” “I know mate, but this is bloody important. Someone damaged the bloody teleporters!” Engineer groaned as he sat in his chair. How could someone damage _all_ the teleporters. “Must’ve been that damn city boy and that drunk cyclops,” he muttered before he made up his mind. He got up from his chair and stretched out, hearing a few bones pop back in place. “Alright, give me a second boy.” He grabbed his box and opened the door. “So, what happened?” He walked out the door and was about to close it and lock it. Sniper cursed in his mind as Engineer locked the door to his workshop and started to walk with Sniper. “Oi… don’t know exactly wot happened, but one moment oi was usin’ the thing, and then it started acting weird. Oi think someone’s been tampering with the bloody thing.” 

As they continued down the hall, (y/n) appeared from the corner behind them and watched until they disappeared behind another corner. She quickly looked around before she made her way to the door and grabbed the handle. She jiggled it to see it was fully locked. “Great,” she mumbled. She thought before she took out a pin from her pocket. She always kept it around in case she was ever locked out or something. (y/n) managed to slide it in the hole and pick the lock. When she heard a click, she silently cheered as she made her way inside the dark workshop. She turned on the light to see scattered blueprints and papers around the tables with pieces of metal and tools surrounding the floor. Her nose was hit by the scent of oil and sweat.

“Jesus Christ, does he even bathe anymore?” She asked in a concern voice as she waved at the air with her hand. (y/n) started to slowly look around the room as she closed the door behind her. She slowly walked around the mess on the floor as she turned over blueprints and looked at schematics. “Hm, nothing here. These are all old drawings,” she said to herself as she looked over more pieces of paper. She started to pull at drawers and cabinets to find anything she has not seen before. All she managed to find were more tools and random pieces of paper. “Good lord, how can he keep track of so many things, this room must’ve been hit by a tornado or something!” She closed the drawers and cabinets as she gave a huff. “I don’t understand, shouldn’t the thing be big if it were a time machine?” She looked around until her eyes fell on an object that was on the floor where Engineer was working. “Huh?” (y/n) knelt to the ground and picked up the thing. The object seemed to look like it belonged to something bigger, but it has glowing lines surrounding it with what looked like to be circuits and gears continually turning. “What is this?” She examined it closer.

…

“Alright son, show me what’s goin’ on?” Sniper picked up a teleporter and placed it on the table in the smoke room where the team played poker and smoked. The said teleporter had sparks flying out of it as the smell of smoke from the machine filled their noses. “Oi guess there’s somethin’ stuck inside it,” Sniper said as he looked at Engineer. The Texan took a closer look at the thing as he started to open it with one of his tools. “Ah see what’s happening,” he said as he unlocked part of it to reveal a bunch of wires and circuits. “The wires are broken and in the wrong places. Ah don’t believe it,” he said as he examined a fried wire. “Wot do you mean, mate?” “Did you see who was playin’ around with the darn thing?” Sniper shook his head. “Nah, just got here and found it like this.” Engineer looked closely before he started to take apart the teleporter and the wires.

“It could have been the ankle biter,” Sniper suggested. Engineer gave a small hum as he started to work on the teleporter. Sniper stood quietly as he watched Engineer work. He hoped that (y/n) was able to open the door and sneak in. However, the sound of Engineer working ceased, causing Sniper to focus his attention back to the working man. “What in the world…” Engineer trailed off as he pulled a piece of shiny metal from the teleporter. Sniper immediately recognized it as a piece from (y/n)’s knife. Sniper played along with it. “Wot in the hell is that?” Engineer examined it as he looked at the material. Engineer’s face went serious. “Ah’ reckon someone did more than just tamper with the damn thing,” he said as he set it aside. Sniper took a small gulp, hoping it went unnoticed by Engineer, who turned his attention to him.

“You sure you didn’t see nothin’ else before you came here? If ah’ can recall… you almost never use the teleporter.” The palm of Sniper’s hands started to sweat as he tried to think up of an excuse. “No mate, you’ve got it all wrong. I do use it, ya just don’t notice it. Oi use it to… ya know…” He started to mumble as he tried to think of something up. This caused Engineer to raise his eyebrows. He started to think Sniper was hiding something as he started to mumble. “Son… you better not be lyin’ to me.” He said in a threatening tone. Sniper quickly shook his head. “No mate, I’m telling you oi do use it for… for…”

“Man stuff,” he quickly said. Engineer was confused. “Man stuff, son ah don’t think you’re making yourself clear.” Sniper started to sweat. “Ya know mate,” he quickly gave him nudge and a wink. “Man stuff.” Engineer thought for a moment before it clicked. “Gee Sniper, ah don’t see why you’re so embarrassed about that stuff. We’re grown men here,” he said as Sniper gave a sigh of relief. Engineer turned his attention back to the teleporter. “But ah’ still don’t’ get why someone would be tampering with the teleporter. Ah’ know it’s not Scout’s doin’,” he said. Sniper gave a small shrug as he fixed his hat. “Ya know, you can never be too sure. Besides, he’s always messin’ around. That bugger’s always hyper.” Engineer gave a small nod as he continued to work on the teleporter, but his thoughts kept him occupied. Surely, someone purposefully wrecked the teleporter, but why?

…

(y/n) scanned around the room until she sighed and dropped to the floor. “I don’t get it,” she said to herself, “There must be some sort of time machine, I know there is!” She looked around for something that would catch her eye, but to no avail. “Maybe I was worrying for no reason,” she said in defeat, “Maybe I am going crazy and this whole… stupid thing was all in my head.” (y/n) stood up as she glanced around the room. It was safe to say that it was a mess, no doubt he had been working all week. She could not even walk on the floor since most of the floor was paper and blueprints, the tables looked like no one cleaned it for years, and the tools were scattered around. “He’s worked hard,” she said, “I guess the least I could do after accusing him is to give him a good work environment.”

She started gathering the papers from the floor and stacking them into neat piles on the floor as she walked out of the room for a moment. (y/n) opened a near closet and gathered some cleaners and rags as she made her way back to his room. However, she was unaware of a passing Soldier, as his arm was swinging around as he tried to talk some sense into it. “You listen here sister, I am the one in control here!” The arm slapped his face as his helmet spun on his head. As he turned the corner, he saw (y/n) going into the workshop room, closing the door behind her. Soldier’s arm scratched his head for him as he watched her disappear.

(y/n) got to work as she started wiping down the tables using the cleaner and a rag, she started to straighten the chairs into place as she stacked the papers neatly on the desks. The workshop had a few small windows to let some light in, but they were closed shut. (y/n) sighed as she slowly opened the windows, allowing the free sunlight to flood the room, bringing in a sense of relief for her. “How can Engie work in a space like this?” She thought as she continued to clean the messy room.

…

“And… done.” Engineer wiped the sweat from his forehead with a spare rag as he placed the last piece on the teleporter. He sat himself down in a chair as he watched one of his greatest inventions whir to life, spinning in a red glow. “Well, thanks mate. I knew you could fix it,” Sniper said as Engineer wiped his tools clean. Engineer sighed as he slowly got up, only to have Sniper quickly place a hand on his chest and lead him back to the chair. “Ya know mate,” he said, “you’ve been working on yer projects and the teleporter; you deserve a break.” Engineer gave him a weird look. “Thanks?” Engineer questioned. He started to think something was up. Throughout the whole teleporter mishap, Sniper had been talking a lot more than he usually would and now the man is offering him to rest. Sniper gave a small nod. “No worries mate, in fact, I need yer help on another thing.” As he was about to talk, Engineer shot up from his sheet with an annoyed look on his face. “Alright you Australian kangaroo,” he said with a serious voice. “What in tarnation’s goin’ on here? You’ve been actin’ weird the moment I got here. Now son, ah’ damn well know someone messed up mah’ teleporter on purpose.” Sniper held his hands up in defense as he tried to keep his composure. “Mate, w-what are yer talkin’ about? I’m acting just foine,” he said in a soft voice.

Engineer was in no mood for games. His lack of sleep and food was catching up to his mood as he grabbed Sniper by the collar and shook him. “Ah’ know you messed up mah’ teleporter! Why?!” Before Sniper could respond, Soldier walked in the room as he checked out his new hand. He glanced up to find Engineer grabbing Sniper as they paused and stared at him. Soldier was confused for a moment. “What are you maggots doing?” He said in a loud voice. Engineer sighed as he looked back at Sniper, who placed a hand on his arm. “Now mate, calm down. I have no idea who messed with the teleporter and it wasn’t even me.” Engineer thought for a moment. “Mate, you better calm down. Yer getting’ out of hand,” he commented as Engineer slowly started to process his actions. He slowly lost his grip as he let go of Sniper and rubbed his head. Sniper let out a deep breath as he caressed his neck.

Engineer slumped into his chair as he rubbed his head. “Dag nabit, you’re right son,” he said. “Ah’ didn’t mean to hurt ya, ah’ just…” Sniper slowly placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay mate, we all lose our minds once in a while.” However, Engineer’s gaze flickered to the piece of metal that he took out of the teleporter. “Ah just… don’t understand… why would someone do that to my tele?” Sniper sighed. “Oi don’t know,” he said in a quiet voice. “Well, it don’t matter anymore. Time to hit the workshop again,” he said as he

stood up.

At the mention of workshop, Soldier perked his head up as his own arm grabbed his face. “I saw Miss (y/n) at the workshop!” He yelled loud and proud. Engineer froze in his tracks. Sniper broke out into a sweat and stared at Engineer. At first, he tried to process what Soldier just said. “What…” he asked again as Soldier repeated. “Miss (y/n) was in the workshop.”

In his time here, Sniper was used to seeing some of the teammates get angry, whether it be from someone bugging another or losing a match. But he was horrified when he saw the look on Engineer’s face that he had never seen before. The Texan scrunched up his brows as he started to grit his teeth, his hands were clenched in fists as he started to radiate heat from anger. It was finally done as Engineer quickly stormed out of the room, slamming the door open so hard that it slammed into the wall and created a hole, holding the door in place. Without a moment to waste, Sniper quickly ran to follow the Engineer.

“Engineer, wait-” “YOU SON OF A BITCH!” He turned and yelled as he punched Sniper in the chest, causing him to stumble back and fall to the floor. He was shocked at two things: one was how mad Engineer was and the second one was how much strength Engineer had in him. “I’M TIRED OF THIS HUCKLIN BULLSHIT! AH’ KNOW WHY THAT TELE WAS DAMAGED AND AH’ SURE HELL KNOW WHAT’S GOIN’ ON HERE!” He turned around to storm back to his workshop, leaving Sniper there with a look of concern on his face. Sniper quickly got up and continued after him. “Mate please don’t…” he said as he ran along the halls. Engineer was more than furious at this point. He should have known from the beginning. When he learned what Soldier had said, things finally clicked in place: the piece of metal was from (y/n)’s knife, who must have not noticed that her knife chipped from tampering with the tele, who set up Sniper as a distraction as she snuck into his workshop, who is looking through his plans and his project. The thought of her finding out what he was up to made him quicken his steps as he turned another corner with Sniper hot on his heels.

…

“All done,” she said as she wiped her forehead. (y/n) stood proudly at the clean room before her. The light from the windows gave the room a soft glow as the place shined with beauty. (y/n) gave a small smile as she looked at her fine work. “I feel bad for assuming so much about him.” She thought, which made her laugh a little. “I was worried for nothing. He’s probably just working on some regular project that I’ve been stressing over.” She said aloud as she sighed. “Guess I better leave before he comes,” she said.

As she was about to walk out, something from the corner of her room caught her eye. She stopped just as she grabbed the door handle and saw a small thing in the corner. It was barely noticeable, but she recognized it as a small button on the corner. “What the…” She slowly let go of the handle as she made her way to the button. “Did I not notice this earlier?” (y/n) slowly kneeled and looked at it before she gave it a small push.

A soft whish sounded as one of the walls slowly formed a small door that slowly started to open. (y/n) quickly looked up to find the door as it revealed a dark room. She squinted for a moment as she tried to make out the shapes, but all she saw was darkness. She slowly got up and started to walk toward the room. (y/n)’s mind went blank as she slowly walked to the hidden entrance.

The door slammed open with a loud bang as Engineer appeared, his face red as hell and sweat running down his forehead, where a large vein appeared and throbbed with anger. “STOP RIGHT THERE, MISSY!” His loud yell caused (y/n) to jump as she quickly turned around. “Oh, Engie-” He wasted no time in quickly closing the hidden entrance as he walked over to her and grabbed her arm hard. “AH’ SEE WHAT YOU’RE TRYNA PULL OFF HERE AND I’VE JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH YOU!” (y/n)’s face paled as she saw how angry he was… no… how much _hatred_ he was filled with. She started to cower down as he bombarded her with yelling and screaming. “YOU NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU ALWAYS GOTTA SNOOP AROUND AND GO THROUGH STUFF THAT AIN’T YOURS. AH’ WORK HARD ON SOMETHIN’ AN’ YOU JUST HAD TO STICK YOUR NOSE IN PLACES IT SHOULDN’T BE!” (y/n) said quietly, “I-I was just concerned for you. I-I even cleaned-” “WHAT?!”

Then, Engineer looked around to find everything… spotless. (y/n) stared at him as she clenched the inside of her cheek between her teeth, starting to grow nervous. She had never seen Engineer so angry before as the grip on her arm started to tighten. She winced at the pain as he glanced around the room.

Instead of feeling any type of relaxation, he seemed to grow heated as he gritted his teeth. “Oh… my… god…” he muttered before he exploded and let loose all his rage. “LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE NOW!! YOU MIXED ALL MY STUFF UP AN’ YOU’VE BEEN SNEAKING AROUND LIKE SOME KIND OF RUGRATTIN’ SPY! GOD, WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE FOR ONCE AN’ JUST MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS WOMAN!” He quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard. “WHAT DID YOU SEE?!” He yelled at her. (y/n) felt a deep feeling growing in her chest as she looked into his cold goggles, feeling the rage build up as she started to tremble. “N-Nothing, I-I was just cleaning…” “LIAR!” He yelled as he pushed her out of the way. “STOP LYING TO ME YOU GOD DAMN COWARD! THAT’S ALL YOU’RE EVER GOOD FOR, YOU JUST LOVE TO COME HERE AND PISS PEOPLE OFF!” “No, that’s not true!” She said as her voice started breaking. “No, it’s not like that at all!” Engineer started heaving as his chest tightened more.

“GOD, WHY CAN’T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?! GIT OUT OF HERE, GIT OUT! GIT OUT OF MY WORKSHOP, GIT OUT OF MY HEAD, GIT OUT OF MY LIFE!” He screamed as he grabbed her and pushed her out, causing her to fall to the floor outside the workshop. “GO CRAWL AWAY LIKE A SCOUNDREL AND JUST… JUST DIE!” With that, he slammed the door to the workshop hard, causing the walls to rattle as (y/n) laid on the floor and stared in horror. Sniper quickly ran the corner and wasted no time in coming to her aid. “S-Sheila, oi heard what happened are you alright?”

(y/n) said nothing as she processed what just happened. She could not comprehend what was going on and how he reacted as he yelled at her and pushed her out of his workshop. But, he she felt even worse when she saw his face… the face of hatred… anger… rage. He was furious with her as the words echoed in her mind. “Coward… why can’t you do anything right… _just die.”_ “ _Just die…”_ she mumbled the words as Sniper kneeled next to her. He gently grabbed her shoulders. “Wot did you say, Sheila?” He said in a quiet voice. Some of the other members were standing in the hallway as they heard the commotion. “What the hell is going on ‘ere?” Scout asked as he appeared and saw the two on the floor. Medic appeared on the other side as he saw (y/n) and Sniper on the floor. “Vhat was zhat?” He said as he stared.

(y/n) did not care who saw, she was too occupied with her thoughts as they swirled and buried themselves in her head. She said nothing as she continued to look down at her hands. Sniper was scared; she never went quiet like that. “Mate… talk to me,” he said as he tried to tilt her head up. But before he could, he heard a small sniff coming from her. He stopped as he leaned closer to hear her, thinking she was about to say something. A small drop fell and landed on her shorts, soaking into the brown fabric as Sniper realized what was happening.

A small choke resonated from (y/n) as she felt a warm liquid trailing down her face. She started to gasp and let out a small sob as she felt the salty droplets hit her clothes. Sniper’s eye widen a bit at the sudden scene. (y/n) did not realize what was going on until she started letting out unfamiliar noises. She felt her hands shake as she sat up on the floor with Sniper trying to grasp the concept. “Hey mate, it’s alright don’t cry.” He tried comforting her. Scout and Medic heard as they tried to rush over to her. (y/n) has not cried in forever and even she did not know what was going on with her as the tears kept falling. She gasped for air as she tried to slowly get up, but Medic and Scout came over and held her down.

Medic, who forgot how angry he was at her, started to grab her hands. “Frau, vhat happened? Tell us vhat happened?” “Toots, what’s wrong? Come on,” he said as he placed a hand on her back. (y/n) said nothing as she felt weak and afraid. She wanted to beat herself up for two reasons: for making Engineer angry after the little stunt she pulled and how humiliating it was for her to break down into a sobbing mess in front of the team. (y/n) dug her fingers into her skin as she tried to get herself to stop, but to no avail.

Sniper felt unhappy about this as he started to grit his teeth and pull his hat down. Then, he swiftly got up and started banging on the door. “OPEN UP YOU BLOKE!” He yelled, causing (y/n) to turn up and shout with a broken voice. “N-No! Please don’t…” she said in a soft and pleading voice. Sniper stopped and stared at her, only for his gaze to soften and his chest to hurt when he looked at her face. Her face was red from the crying as tears stained her face and left a small trail down to her chin. Her eyes were starting to get red and puffy as her eyes were filled with tears and pain.

Without hesitation, she quickly pushed them off and ran down the hall, ignoring the protests she got from the team. Scout was about to chase after her until Sniper grabbed him by the shoulder. “No mate… don’t.” He said in a low voice. Scout pushed his arm off. “What do you mean no? Can’t you see she’s hurtin’?” “Don’t push her, (y/n) needs to be alone right now.” He said as Medic stared at the direction she went. He slowly turned to Sniper with a serious face. “Vhat. Happened.” Sniper sighed as he cocked his head toward Engineer’s workshop. “The lad is mad at her for cleaning and looking through his workshop. She thought the man was up to something,” he said. Medic walked up to the door and rattled it, only to find it locked. He started banging on the door again. “Open up you Schwanz!” He continued to pound on the door until a click was heard as the trio stepped back.

The Texan’s face appeared as his face was still red. “What the hell do y’all want?!” Without warning, Sniper grabbed him and through him to the floor. “You bloody piker!” He yelled as Engineer quickly sat up. “What the hell has gotten into you?!” Scout and Medic quickly held Sniper back before he could pounce on Engineer. “You good-for-nothing, heartless bloke!” Sniper yelled as he kicked his legs. “Sniper, stop!” Medic yelled as he tried to get Sniper to calm down. Engineer sat on the floor, staring up at the bushman. Sniper finally calmed down as he ceased kicking and pushed his teammates away. Scout shook his head at Engineer. “Not cool, pal,” he said in a disapproving tone. Engineer growled as he sat up. “Shut up city boy,” he said. Medic stepped in as he shoved a finger into his chest. “No, you shut up; especially after vhat you just caused for us.” Engineer turned to him. “How are y’all so hurt, ah’ did nothin’ wrong.” “Oh, yes you did.” Sniper growled as he stepped closer. “You hurtin’ the poor Sheila for no reason,” he said, “all because you’ve been hidin’ stuff and brushin’ her off. Well, oi say she had enough of your shit mate.” He said as Engineer stayed quiet. “Poor girl,” Scout mumbled. “You best believe you hurt a kind soul today. Be lucky oi didn’t put one between your eyes,” Sniper said as he shoved Engineer out of the way and walked down the hall.

Medic looked at Engineer and glared at him before walking the opposite way. “Nice goin’ farmer,” Scout said as he walked behind Medic, causing the Texan to stand in the hall alone. He said nothing as he sighed and rubbed his head, walking back into his workshop and replaying the events that led up to this. He shut the door and slowly sat in a chair as he glanced around the room. From what he had been working with, it was nice to have his room like this. He looked at the clean desk before him and ran his gloved hand along the surface, feeling how smooth and clean it felt to him. Engineer groaned as he replayed what he had said to (y/n), causing guilt to run through him. “Ah’ did lose it a little,” he said as he buried his face into his hands.

(y/n)ran along the halls, ignoring everything in her path and the teammates she passed by. She slammed every door open until she found herself running up the stairs and opening the door to the roof of the main building. The sun was setting as the sky turned to pinks and purple, greeting her with a nice view of the land; but (y/n) paid no attention as she collapsed on the building with tears flowing down her face more than ever. She sat as she hugged her knees and wiped the tears as much as she could off her face. She did not want to cause anymore trouble, but her suspicions got the best of her. Had she not done this, Engineer would be fine, she would move on. (y/n) hugged herself as she rested her head against her knees. “It’s all my fault,” she said in between hiccups. “God, I should’ve left everything alone, I should’ve minded my business, I should’ve never looked through, I should’ve never pulled that off.”

She gazed at the sunset as she tried to get herself together. She wiped the excess tears away as she sighed and rubbed her eyes. The sun said goodbye as the moon appeared on the other side of the horizon, shining in all its glory as it gave a white glow and greeted the chilly desert. (y/n) rubbed her arms together as she felt the breeze starting to pick up, but she did not bother to back inside as she cradled herself on the roof of the building. She sighed as she closed her eyes and tried to distant herself from what happened. She could see the Blu base from afar as she watched the lights glow up the place. (y/n) covered her head as she listened to her own breathing and tried to forget what happened, wishing for the night to sweep her away and carry her to the moon and away from her mistakes.

…

The day fell as the night arrived for Spy as he made his way to the back of the base. Another cigarette rested between his lips as he arrived at the door. He looked around him, making sure no one saw, before he quickly disappeared. Spy walked quietly around the back before he saw Blu Engineer waiting for him with an active teleporter in front of him. He was resting against the concrete wall, sighing as he waited patiently for Spy. Spy walked and stood next to him, revealing himself from his invisibility, making the Engineer jump a bit. “God, cut that out son!” He said as Spy smirked and took a drag from his cigarette. “And if you are gonna sneak ‘round that base, you better put that out” Spy rolled his eyes as he put his cigarette out against the wall. “Well then, are we ready?” Engineer nodded as he stepped on the teleporter.

The machine made a whirring sound as it began to spin faster before Engineer disappeared. Spy waited until the teleporter stopped before he followed behind. He fixed his suit as he disappeared, leaving nothing in their trace.

Spy opened his eyes to find himself greeted by red paint. He found himself next to Engineer outside the Red base as they were surrounded by red and wooden structures. Spy realized they were hidden beside a small and forgotten corner of the base. “Hmm, not bad,” Spy said as he glanced around. Engineer dug into his pocket and pulled out a map of the base, handing it to Spy. “This will help you navigate through the base. The workshop should be right here,” he said as he pointed to a small room marked with an “x” in red. Spy nodded as he scanned the map, finding different rooms marked. “You know where to find the intel when you need to,” Engineer said before he stepped on the teleporter again. “Good luck, and you better bring me that time machine,” he said before he disappeared, leaving Spy alone in the cold night. Spy smirked to himself as he continued scanning the map, his eyes resting on the file room. “Excellent,” he said. Then, the teleporter exploded, leaving Spy to begin his plan as he disappeared.

…

As (y/n) was about to fall asleep from crying so much, a sound caught her attention as she shot her head up. She looked around only to hear the continuous noise coming from the ground floor. (y/n) slowly scooted over the edge and peered over as she saw a blue teleporter coming to life. Then, a figure appeared from the teleporter as he stepped aside and waited. “That’s… the Blue Engineer…” she thought as she grimaced at him. “What the hell is he doing here?” She was about to alert the team when she saw the teleporter start up again. The French rogue appeared as the teleporter stopped, leaving the two men in the small corner. Rather than alert the team right away, she slowly hid herself and poked part of her head out from the roof. She watched carefully as she listened to what they were saying. “This will help you navigate through the base. The workshop should be right here,” she heard the Engineer say, indicating something on the map. (y/n) watched with curiosity as she saw the Spy grab the map while Engineer took his leave. “Good luck, and you better bring me that time machine,” he said before he disappeared.

Her eyes widened as she realized the team was trying to break into Engineer’s workshop. Then, she realized another thing: they were looking for a time machine. (y/n) saw Spy chuckle disappear before she leaned back onto the roof, staring at disbelief. “So, there is a time machine…” she said to herself, placing a hand on her head. “So, I was right.” She thought to herself. “I can’t believe those ratbags, I have to tell Engie-” The thought left her when she started remembering what happened earlier, making her lower her eyes as the feeling started to come back. “Maybe that’s a bad idea, he’s probably still mad at me after what happened.” (y/n) thought for a moment. “Whatever, I’ll tell Sniper and Spy before anything else happens.” With that, she got up and ran back inside to warn the others about the interaction she heard.


	6. Intruder Alert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After last night's events, (y/n) refuses to talk to Engineer as she intends to find the Spy. Unfortunately, (y/n) gets an uninvited guest in her room as things start to get worse for her and her friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this is a very long chapter. I think this is the longest chapter in this series so far. I hope you guys enjoy this one.

The sun woke its eye as it looked across the Arizona desert, watching the cold sand turn into its rich warm color of red as the cliffs and the rocks transformed into high mountains. The base was exceptionally quiet today as the team members felt weary at breakfast. The team members sat at the breakfast table, except for (y/n) and Engineer. Scout gave a small cough as the team quietly ate their breakfast. No one said a word at this point, just the sound of silverware and eating overcame the room. “Shut up,” Spy said as Scout was about to talk. The baseball player closed his mouth and returned to eating his food.

The team was quite aware at what occurred last night, and the events led to everyone keeping their mouths shut. Some team members were afraid to speak about the topic, but some were mostly upset over what occurred. Spy was unbothered as he ate like nothing happened and enjoyed the silence, drinking his coffee in content. Meanwhile, Sniper ignored his food as if it were plastic as he stared at his plate in thought. Medic was no different as he just looked at the floor, hands folded together underneath the table. It was safe to say that Medic was upset at what happened in the lab and what occurred outside the workshop. He lifted his head and gazed across the table to see the empty chair with the plate untouched. (y/n) never came for breakfast, not even to Sniper calling her down to eat. They were afraid to go up to her room and get her, since they believed she was still upset about the whole thing.

The eating and sounds of silverware ceased as the members began to finish one by one, but no one got up to leave. They just sat there, as if they were waiting for something to happen. Scout sighed as he blew a raspberry and rested his hands behind his head, leaning backwards in his chair. He took a glance at the door, hoping that (y/n) or Engineer would appear. For the most part, he hoped it was (y/n) rather than Engineer. He could vouch for both Sniper and Medic and say that he too was upset about what happened only because of how distraught (y/n) seemed. He did not usually show how much he cared, he usually kept up an arrogant act and was egotistical. Yet, he did care about (y/n) even though he was a jerk to her at the beginning, but that was because he had never given her a chance. Now, they were best of friends and hung around all the time, throwing baseballs, and enjoying the outside together. Sure, he was not as mad as Sniper was, but he was still upset at the Engineer, but was more concerned for (y/n).

As if on cue, the door opened, and (y/n) appeared with the same clothes on from last night. Some of the team members smiled, while others stared and gave her a look of concern. Spy gave a sideway glance and looked her over and cringed. Her clothes were semi-dirty, and her hair was sweaty and oily. Her face was a bit red and her eyes had small dark circles appearing underneath: she looked like she had not slept at all last night. He felt somewhat sorry for the girl, but he felt that he could not do much for her. Sniper slowly got up and walked over to (y/n), who stared at everyone from the doorway. “Good morning, (y/n),” he said in a small voice. (y/n) gave him a small smile as she gave a small “hello” back. She glanced around and saw that the room was too quiet for her liking. “What’s up, cat got your tongues?” She teased a bit. The tension seemed to break as Scout gave a wave. “Sup toots?” He said. Medic gave a small wave, not bothering to look. She noticed and her smile faltered a bit. (y/n) sighed as she walked past the dining table and straight to the kitchen. “Oi made breakfast,” said Sniper. “Thanks Sniper, but I’ll just grab some juice,” she said from the kitchen. Sniper sighed as he followed her into the kitchen. Some of the team decided to get up and leave from the table, not wanting to get involved in anything else that related to the late events.

“Are you… okay?” Sniper said in a quiet voice as (y/n) grabbed the jug of juice and poured it into a glass. “Yes, I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me,” she said in a reassuring yet tired voice. She did not look at him when she said that, causing him to walk over to side. “Oi Sheila, look at me.” He softly placed his fingers under her chin and moved her head to see her face. (y/n) looked up at him and said again, “I’m fine. Thanks.” Sniper softly caressed her face with his thumb. “Did you stay up late last night?” He asked in a low voice. (y/n) sighed and shook her head. “I didn’t stay up late because of what happened,” she said. Sniper raised his brows. “Then, wot else?” “There’s something you should know that happened,” she said as she turned away and took a sip of her orange juice. She licked her lips and started to speak again.

“We have trouble starting around the base, and it does relate to Engineer-” “(y/n), oi don’t think we should talk about him.” (y/n) stopped talking as he said that. “No, Sniper you don’t understand.” “After what oi saw, oi think I do.” “Then, just listen to me.” (y/n) said with a serious tone. “Just listen to what I have to say and then I’ll drop it.” Sniper sighed as he shut his mouth. “Look,” (y/n) said, “I was outside on the roof, and I heard something going on below. I saw the blue Engineer and Spy at our base,” she said in a low voice. Before Sniper could say anything, she quickly covered his mouth. “I don’t know where the Spy is, but we have to be careful. The man could be anywhere.” With that, she took her hand off his mouth as he stayed silent. She started to whisper. “They used a teleporter to get here and they said that they were looking for Engineer’s time machine.” She waited for Sniper to talk.

“Did you see a time machine… there?” He said slowly. (y/n), trying to ignore the event, thought for a moment. All she knew was that there was a hidden room in Engineer’s workshop, but she could barely see anything in the room. She would have had time had Engineer not come in and… and… “Get it together, (y/n),” she thought. “No, but they believe that he does. I found a secret room in his workshop, but I didn’t get a chance to see what was in there.” “Are you still going on about the bloody time machine?” (y/n) was taken aback at his question. Sniper seemed a bit upset about the topic. “Sniper, this is serious stuff. There has to be a time machine here if the Spy and Engineer are after it.” Sniper groaned. “Sheila, how about we just… drop it?” (y/n) gave him a confused look. “Drop it? No. Sniper, I’m not going to drop this-” “Sheila, don’t you get it?” Sniper said. “We should just stop getting’ involved in this. As it is, you’re still not okay with wot happened and it shows.” (y/n) shook her head. “Sniper, we have to warn Engineer-” “Screw that bugger!” He said in a louder voice. (y/n) gaped at him, wondering what was going on. “But… but Sniper, the Spy’s going to get him and his time machine.” “Sheila, there is no time machine.” He said bluntly.

“Look (y/n), we wasted our time finding a machine that probably doesn’t even exist. That room that you found was probably just another closet or somethin’. Just stop chasin’ the Texan around and just forget about the whole time machine.” Now (y/n) was annoyed. “But, why?” “Because it’s just gonna end up with you fightin’ with the Engineer and getting into another bloody fight.” “No Sniper, we have to-” “(y/n), just stay out of it and just kill the Spy. Don’t go to Engineer and just stop chasin’ the damn time machine.” (y/n) stayed silent as she glared at him. Sniper lowered his hat as he grumbled something and walked out of the kitchen, leaving (y/n) alone. “Great, now Sniper doesn’t want to help. Fantastic,” she thought. “It’s clear that there’s something going on.” She sighed as she placed the cup back in the sink. “Fine, I’ll just do this shit myself,” she grumbled to herself as she made her way out of the kitchen.

Sniper sighed as he rubbed his face. It was not that he didn’t want her to pursue the damn thing, it’s just that he didn’t want her to get hurt again. He knew that after what happened, she was not fine and Engineer was going to yell at her again if she ever tried to approach him. He passed by the table again to find Spy sitting alone smoking a cigarette. “I take it the Mademoiselle is stressed?” He asked, not bothering to look up at the bushman. Sniper lowered his head as he gave a simple ‘yes’ and continued to walk. However, he stopped at the door and threw a glance over his shoulder. “Spy,” he said. Spy glanced up and stared at Sniper. “What do you want?” He asked. Sniper said, “Keep an eye out for anything suspicious.” He left the room as Spy watched him leave. He gave a simple wave of his hand and continued smoking, but he was taking his words in for consideration. “Don’t worry, I already know,” he thought.

(y/n) walked out of the kitchen and passed the table. “Good morning, Spy.” Spy glanced up to see her walking towards the other door. He quickly spoke up. “I do not know what exactly happened that caused this thing,” he said with a wave of his hand, “but, I am sorry. Get some rest or something, you look awful.” (y/n) stopped for a moment before she gave a small smile and left the room. Spy sighed as he blew smoke into the room again.

…

The Blu Spy snuck through the hallways, passing by the Soldier who was playing poker with Demoman and Heavy. Laughter fell from their lips as Demoman slammed his cards down, losing for a third time to Heavy. Spy rolled his eye as he silently passed them and through the open door that led him down the hallway. He quickly made his way down the hall as he scanned for the room. Spy scanned the map again as he appeared to be lost. “How zhe hell could I be lost for heaven’s sake?” He thought to himself. Maybe Engineer grabbed the wrong map or maybe the team changed the place. Sometimes, the team would have to change their base by expanding or demolishing rooms to prepare for matches against the Blu team.

Unfortunately for Spy, the workshop that was marked on the map was not in the same place as it used to be. He groaned in frustration as he placed the map back in his pocket. “I guess I will have to search for this place myself,” he thought. He heard a few voices coming through the hall as he found a locker nearby. He made his way inside and hid for a moment as Scout and Pyro walked by. Scout was making loud and obnoxious comments about something while the Pyro made incoherent mumbles through his mask. Spy deactivated his invisibility so he wouldn’t overuse it. Once they passed and turned the corner, Spy slowly opened his locker and checked the halls to make sure the coast was clear. Then, he stepped out and turned on his cloak again, making his way down another direction.

The pathway took him to a different hall that had many more doors than the previous one. He opened the first one to reveal a basic bedroom with a baseball bat lounging on the side and a baseball on the table. He figured it was Scout’s room before he closed the door. Then, he made his way to the one across. Spy put his ear against the door, listening for anyone in there. When he heard nothing, he slowly opened the door to find another room. This room had grenades and an American flag hanging over the messy bed with wrinkled blankets and distorted pillows. “Americans,” he said in a disgusted voice as he closed the door again. “This must be the team’s quarters,” he thought as he walked past each door.

Suddenly, the voice of a girl was heard coming from the opposite hallway. “I guess I’m excited for the match tomorrow,” the voice said. It sounded a bit faint, but it was noticeable. Spy slowly leaned against the wall as (y/n) appeared with the red Spy next to her as they made their way down the hall. “I feel like this match is going to be tougher than the last one,” she continued as Spy listened closely to her. “We will not have a problem with those disappointments,” said the Frenchman. Blu Spy rolled his eyes at the comment as (y/n) let out a small laugh. “Well, you never know. Hell, we might jinx ourselves if we start to boast so soon.” Spy gave a small nod as (y/n) stopped in front of a door. “Well, I’m a bit tired,” she said. Spy twirled his cigarette in his fingers. “Of course, ami. I believe that you do need your rest after what has happened.” (y/n) gave a small smile as she thanked him.

Before he could leave, the red Spy sensed something off about the hall as he looked around. This caused (y/n) to look around as well. “Is there… something wrong?” (y/n) asked as Spy felt some sort of presence. He slowly looked back at her. “No ami, I was just thinking of something,” he said. (y/n) let out a small “oh” before he spoke again. “Get some rest, Mademoiselle. When you wake up, you can stop by my room anytime,” he said. (y/n) gave a small smile. He cared and she knew it. “Thank you Spy,” she said before she opened the door to her room. Spy gave a small wave before he started walking down the halls. The Blu Spy stood still as the Red Spy started to pass him. He stopped in his tracks as he turned to the direction of the Blu Spy. The Blu Spy held his breath as the Red Spy looked around, having the feeling of being watched. He started to remember Sniper’s words: “ _Keep an eye out for anything suspicious_.” Spy looked around as he felt an eerie feeling sweep through his chest. “Hmm…” he hummed to himself. Then, he decided to keep walking down the hallway as the Blu Spy slowly let out a sigh of relief.

Spy turned his attention to the room that was still open. He gave a small smirk as he found one of his targets: (y/n). He walked towards the room and snuck inside as he saw (y/n) adjusting her bed, fixing the pillows and the blankets. “It’s been a long day,” she said to herself as he watched from the corner of the room, waiting for the right opportunity for him to strike like a snake waiting for the poor rabbit to pass his little lair.

…

(y/n) sighed as she smelled her shirt and cringed. “Gross, I smell like shit.” She walked to the bathroom as she turned on the light and closed the door behind her. She took off her clothes one by one as she turned on the shower. (y/n) sighed as she felt the shower warm up and create steam that fogged up the mirror. She stepped into the shower and started to clean the sweat and dirt that left stains on her skin, washing it off with soap and water. (y/n) wet her hair as she massaged the shampoo into her scalpel, feeling the oil from the sweat start to disappear and smooth out her hair. She started to enjoy the comfort of the warm water as she let the drops massage her skin with delicate feeling. However, (y/n) kept thinking about all that happened so far. She still felt bad for what she did to Engineer, but what else was there to do? She wishes he hadn’t ignored and her and instead told her what he was doing, but then she felt bad for pressuring him into asking and then sneaking into his workshop. She also felt bad at what she did to Medic, but did she have a choice, would it have been better if she accepted him, and if so, would it hurt her other friends? Her eyebrows furrowed at these thoughts as she felt the feeling of the water try to soothe her emotional state. But she did say no because she loved the team, and she did what she did because she cared about Engineer. But she also did a lot of wrong things, no doubt.

(y/n) turned off the shower as she grabbed the nearby towel and wrapped it around herself before stepping onto the small rug that was placed outside the shower. She dried herself off and started to brush her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror and moved her face to find any little spots of red or any hair that she didn’t like. Once satisfied with her looks, she opened the bathroom door and stepped into her room. However, she started to feel cold, a different kind of cold. It was not the cold that one felt when they stepped out of the shower and experienced the change in temperature, but it was a feeling that she was being watched again. It was that same feeling she had when she was sitting on the windowsill reading a book that night.

She looked around her room to find nothing there. “How odd,” she thought as her grip on her towel tightened. She opened her dresser and picked up simple clothing: her garments, a red tank top, and black pants. Before she removed her towel, (y/n) tensed up as she felt the presence closer when she near her dresser. “What if… it’s that damn Spy?” She thought to herself. “Maybe, that’s why I feel that presence…” In that case, she was damn sure she was not going to change in her room. She slowly slipped back into her bathroom and made sure to lock the door. “Funny,” she thought, “I don’t feel anything here.” (y/n) quickly got dressed and placed a hand on the door. “If the Spy is in here, then I have to get him before he gets me.” She thought as she slowly opened the door.

(y/n) stepped out and acted like nothing happened as she made her way to the bed. She did a small stretch before she slipped into the bed and placed the blankets over her. “Maybe I do need some shut eye,” she said aloud. “I’m acting crazy, maybe it’s from the stress.” She slowly snuggled into her pillow as she blinked a few times before closing her eyes and steadying her breath. She closely listened with her ears for anything in her room as she pretended to fall asleep. “Nothing…” she thought as she placed a hand underneath her pillow. (y/n) was sure that there was someone in her room. Since Sniper was not going to help her get the Spy, she would have to take care of him herself. However, she assumed that the Spy was going to look for the workshop. She brought Spy along with her to scan the area, but there was nothing there. Though it pained her to step near the workshop, she sucked it in and looked around. Spy claimed there was no one here and assured that it was clear. (y/n) seemed to trust him, since he was an experienced Spy, so he surely knows his double. (y/n) could not understand why the Blu Spy was in her room if he were after the time machine. “What could he possibly want in my room, or better yet… from me?” She thought to herself.

A small creak was heard from the corner of the room, interrupting her thoughts. She kept her calm expression as small and tiny footsteps were heard walking around her bed. (y/n) laid in her comfortable position as she listened closely. The steps seemed to be walking around her bed and coming to her side where she was sleeping. “I knew it,” she thought. The Spy was in here with her. (y/n) moved her head slightly to indicate that she was going into a sort of deep sleep. The hand underneath her pillow moved slowly and grabbed the metal object as she gripped it between her fingers.

She could faintly hear someone breathing as they came near her “sleeping form”. Suddenly, she felt a… hand. The hand rested on her covered arm as it slowly rubbed her arm. She laid still to trick the man into thinking she was asleep for good. She had a feeling that this Spy was out of his cloak as he moved his hand up as it landed on her shoulder. (y/n) had to think: the knife was in her grasp and she was certain that this man in the room was the Blu Spy. Yet, she needed to know his position to attack as she felt body heat radiating off. She started to smell smoke as he was standing right next to the bed where she was. “Just great,” she thought. She felt the Spy remove his hand as she heard him dig into his pocket for something. (y/n) was curious as to what he was going to pull out, but she can assume a few things: he was going to kill her and disguise as her, he was probably going to tie her up as she sleep, or… he had bad intentions and was going to do something that she was most likely not going to enjoy. The last thought put (y/n) in a bad position. “You know what…” she started to think as the Spy seemed to lean closer to her figure.

“Fuck it.” In a flash, she quickly whipped the knife out and swiped it at the Spy. He fell back as he grabbed his cheek, which was now dripping with blood. (y/n) quickly grabbed the covers and lunged at him, but he managed to get up in time and whip out his butterfly knife. She quickly pulled the covers up as he attempted to slash at her, ripping a hole in the covers. (y/n) quickly stood up only to have herself get tackled by the Spy. He managed to make them roll on the floor as she used her feet to push him off as he got up, the knife still in her hand. She blocked another attack and quickly used her leg to kick at his legs, but he must have saw that coming as he quickly jumped over her attack. “Not today, Mademoiselle.” She stepped backwards as he turned and kicked her stomach, causing her to gasp as she involuntarily grasped her stomach with her free hand. The Spy took the opportunity and swiftly grabbed the cover and wrapped it around her neck. (y/n) realized her mistake as he jumped around her and held the covers on each end, tightening the covers. She started to gasp for air as she placed her hand to stretch out the cover, but he only held tighter.

“Zhis is how it felt on the battlefield,” he said. She could hear the smirk in his voice, which made her mad. “S-Screw you, rat!” “Perhaps another time,” he said smugly. (y/n) felt the oxygen leaving her as she tried to breathe. Then, she stopped breathing before she slumped in his grip. The Spy paused for a moment before he looked at her. She laid unmoving in his grasp as he looked at her face. Her eyes were closed as her mouth parted, the knife dropped from her hand and onto the floor. “Oh merde, did I kill her?” He said as his grip loosened.

On cue, (y/n) spun around, grabbed him by the shoulders, and delivered a kick right in his area. He screamed so loud as he quickly grabbed the area to cradle it. This gave (y/n) time to take the covers off her neck as she gasped for air, feeling relief as the fresh air made its way back into her lungs. “Sorry honey,” she said, “you wish you could.” (y/n) grabbed the knife from the floor as Spy started to slide down the floor, curling into a crouched position as he groaned from the pain. (y/n) wasted no time in lunging at him with the knife aiming for his head.

She did not know what happened as she felt a jolting shock pass through her body. All she heard was a shrill scream come from her as her teeth clenched together as her eyes looked all over the place. (y/n) felt the sensation leave her body as it left her stunned and trying to process what happened. Then, she felt her eyes close as she collapsed on the floor, the knife dropping onto the floor as she lost consciousness. Spy held a small zapper in his hand as the object released smoke from the voltage. “Hmm…” he said as he recovered from the attack. He slowly stood up as he looked down at her form. “You should have seen that coming, Mademoiselle.” Spy whipped out his knife as he slowly flipped her over to make sure she was unconscious. He slowly lifted her eyelid and checked her pulse. “Good,” he said as he felt her heartbeat.

Spy put his knife away as he grabbed the girl and placed her on her bed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some ropes he had. He started to tie her hands to the bed as tied her legs together to the end of the bed. Spy tore the fabric from the cover and placed it around her mouth. Spy chucked as he checked to see anything loose, making sure everything was tight. Once he was satisfied, he took out his panel and set up his disguise. He started to transform into an exact duplicate of (y/n) as he checked himself out in the mirror. Spy scanned his features before he walked out the door and locked it behind him.

He fixed his ponytail as he started to walk down the halls of the base. “This should be easy,” he said in (y/n)’s voice as he wandered the rest of the base. As Spy walked down the hall, Scout came out of a room as he talked to the other members. “Yeah, yeah, whateva’.” He turned to see Spy in his tracks. “Hey toots,” he said with a small wave. Spy gave a small smile in return. “Hi Scout,” he said. Scout came over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You alright there?” Spy simply said “yes” as Scout gave a small smirk. “Heh yeah, getting back to business huh? You are one tough nut!” He said. Spy gave a small laugh. “Sure am,” he said. As he continued walking down the hall, Scout started to follow him. “So, whatcha up to sweet cheeks?” He asked as he walked along the side. Spy sighed to himself. “Great, I’m left with the talker,” he thought to himself. He put another smile on his face. “Well you know, just doing my… daily chores,” he said. “Hey ya know, I’ve been practicin’ a lot with my bat. Get a look at these things, boom!” He flexed his arm as Spy tried to not laugh so much. “That’s pretty impressive, Scout,” he said. Scout paused for a moment before he looked up. “Woah, woah… what?”

Spy froze as he realized his mistake. “Well, you know…” he said until Scout interrupted him with a cheeky chuckle. “Heh, I knew you’d finally admit that I’m getting’ my muscles. I knew you couldn’t resist me,” he arrogantly said as he continued flexing. Spy felt relief, but soon turned into annoyance as Scout kept going on and on. Seriously, how can a man so small have so much talk and oxygen? It has been ten minutes and Scout was still talking as Spy said nothing, except his face started to show how tired he was of hearing Scout talk nonstop.

Then, an idea came to his head. “Scout,” he said, causing the Boston boy to stop talking. “What’s up?” Spy started putting up his act. “God, I mean I’m so forgetful but, do you remember where the file room is? I’m just so tired and I’m not thinking straight right now.” Scout laughed as he poked at his arm. “Man, you sure are startin’ to lose it, aren’t ya? Anyway, it’s down the hall to the right, tootsie roll.” He pointed a finger at the end of the hall. “Thanks Scout,” he said as he quickly departed from him, leaving Scout alone.

Spy turned the corner and saw the room with the word “files” on top. “Excellent,” he muttered with a smirk before opening the door to the room. Cold air hit against his skin as he turned on the light to the dark room. Stacks and bins filled with files to the brim as the drawers stuck out and piles were tilted. He closed the door behind him as he started to look at the labels on top of each drawer and shelf. “Let’s see…” he mumbled as he scanned between each shelf and flipped through the labels from the files. “God, how does this idiotic team function?” He moved to another pile in search of the name. However, the files showed no such name as they came out blank and made him start to build up frustration in his system.

Spy turned his attention to another filing cabinet, digging out files and moving them around. “Zhere must be something here about her,” he said as he dug through papers and unnecessary things. He stopped when he heard footsteps outside the halls and muffled voices passing by. He listened closely as they passed by and disappeared down the hall. He continued his searching as he placed the files back and searched another place. “I do not understand,” he said, “zhere are files on Demo, Heavy, Sniper, and Medic; but there are no files on the girl.” Spy refused to believe that was true as he continued, though his fingers were hurting a bit from all the moving.

Something caught his eye as he dug through the last cabinet. There was a folder that had no name on it, but it had a dark red dot on the side. He slowly grabbed it and pulled it out, separating it from the others. It seemed like any regular folder, except it had one red dot that stuck out to him as he slowly opened the folder to reveal the information. His face started to plaster a smirk as the familiar face popped up on the surface. “Yes,” he said as he found the file of (y/n). He stared at the picture of her: it was an old picture of her since she looked much younger, with her messy hair and young-looking eyes. However, she had a small bruise on her face with a cut on her lip. She had a small frown on her face as she seemed to stare at the camera with a dead look in her eyes. Spy looked closely as he started to wonder what happened. He looked at the information next to her picture:

_Name: (y/n)_

_Last Name: Unknown_

_Age: 16_

_Height: N/A_

_Background: Unknown; she was found hiding in an alleyway and was taken into Hale’s Home for Teens._

_Physique: (y/n) was found to have multiple bruises along her arms, a few scars on her legs and back, she was found with a small cut on her lip and a bruise around her cheek. The teenager also had a knife in her pocket with a small amount of blood. (y/n) refuses to say what happened and was immediately put on investigation._

_Behavioral Information from Miss Bee (caretaker): (y/n) is quiet and does not socialize with the other teenagers of the orphanage. She refuses to eat at the table with the others but will eat after everyone heads to bed. (y/n) seems to distance herself during playtime. (y/n) has gotten into a recent fight with another teenage boy; the boy was left with a few bite marks along his arm and a large bruise on his chest from where she kicked him. It was said he instigated the fight by poking and throwing the first punch. (y/n) was not hurt in any way, for there were no marks on her body. She was not allowed to leave the home for two days._

_On October 17, (date unknown), she was not found in her bedroom. The advisors assumed she snuck out and left the orphanage in the night. However, the room was covered in broken glass, ripped covers, and broken wood all over the floor, indicating a fight that occurred during the middle of the night. Suspects say they heard a few things coming from the room, but there were no traces of (y/n)_ _or any other intruder. The police have declared that the teenager has been abducted and host an investigation. After a month, the police declare to discontinue the case._

Spy shook his head. “But where did she come from?” He noticed there was another page in the back as he moved the paper to find another bio with a picture. The new picture was an older version of (y/n) with her hair down and her face looked untouched. Spy scanned the bio next to it:

_Name: (y/n)_

_Last Name: Unknown_

_Age: 25_

_Background: Claims she was born somewhere in Europe but does not say specifically where. She does not have a permanent home, but she does have a father who is currently living as a diplomat in Europe. She has been thoroughly trained with many fighting techniques: tae kwon do, judo, karate, and boxing. Little is known about her background, but she claims to be a trained fighter for her diplomat father. She refuses to share any other information._

_Status report from Miss Pauling: The recruit has offered to become the tenth mercenary on the Red team in exchange for refuge and basic needs. She claims that she is wanted in many countries and asks for identification security in return. She was hired a week later as a permanent mercenary for the Administrator. Her contract is to serve the team and the Administrator until further noticed. She will abide by the rules and protect the base at all cost from outside intruders such as Grey Mann._

Spy thought for a moment before he closed the file and stood up from the place. “Hmm, so she comes from a family of wealth,” he says. “It seems her father was a diplomat, but who is her father?” The file did not say much about her character and background, but the orphanage and the photo gave a few hints about her past, but not much. If that was the case, it was safe to assume that something happened to her: perhaps she was kidnapped as a child, or maybe she ran away from her father. There were many possibilities of what could have happened to her that led to her previous occupation of a mercenary. Why did she become a mercenary, why was she running away, why was she wanted in countries around the world? All these questions made Spy think more about (y/n). If the files weren’t going to show anything else, then it was up to him to interrogate her for the information he wanted to know. He nodded his head as he turned off the light and walked out the room.

After he closed the door, he heard a familiar voice behind him. “Hey.” He froze as he recognized the Southern drawl pouring out. He slowly turned to see the Engineer standing behind him with his hardhat in his hands. Now, Spy was still disguised as (y/n), so that gave him some relief. He gave a smile as he hid the folder behind his back. “Hello Engineer,” he said with a cheery voice.

Engineer tilted his head a bit in confusion. “Impossible,” he thought. He stared at (y/n) as she stared back with a smile. The last time he saw (y/n), she was shocked, upset, and distraught. After she left the kitchen, Engineer came a few minutes later to get his breakfast. He did his best to hide from (y/n) after what he did, but the whole scenario affected the entire team. When he walked into the room, most of the members became silent and gave him glares as he passed by. The only people who made small talk with him were Soldier, Demo, and Pyro. Sometimes, Heavy would talk to him, but he would make it clear that he was in no mood to talk to him. Engineer heard what happened to (y/n) after he kicked her out, making him feel horrible. He knew how bad it looked when he yelled at her and said things that he knew he should not have said. Hell, he didn’t think that he could say these horrible insults, especially towards the one person who cared about him. Sure, he was furious at (y/n) for sneaking into his workshop and sticking her nose into his business, but he was also thankful for how she thought about him by cleaning his workspace for him so he could have a better environment. That made him feel guilt as he heard about how she cried and ran away, refusing to talk to anyone else after what went down.

When he went to have breakfast, Spy was there to make a remark about how Engineer seemed to love his machines more than his friends who cared about him. That remark made his chest tighten as he told the backstabber to shut up, but he knew he was right. He pushed (y/n) away from him because he was trying to hide his new project and ignored at how concerned she was and how she was taking care of him. He wanted to beat himself up for what he did and how much he felt that he did not deserve someone as sweet as her. She did her best to check up on everyone and make sure they were alright, and all he did was push her away as if she was an annoyance. So, he made up his mind to find her and apologize to her when he had the chance. However, he could not find the gal anywhere. He asked members of the team for her whereabouts. Some of the members shrugged their shoulders, while some ignored him and gave him the cold shoulder. Sniper gave him a rude remark of “Why, so you can yell at her again?"

He was about to give up and find her himself until he saw Scout walking down the hallway, whistling. He asked him if he had seen (y/n) and begged him to tell him so he could apologize. Though Scout was being a sarcastic little shit, he told him that she was going to the file room for some reason. Engineer thanked the boy before he made his way to the location. He was certain that (y/n) was still mad at him for what he said, but he was going to apologize to her anyway because it was the least he could do. He felt a bit hesitant when he saw her step out of the room, but he knew that he had to suck it up and make it up.

Yet, there was something off about it. (y/n) did not look angry at all; she looked rather cheerful and happy to see him, even in his weak moment. This confused Engineer a lot, considering she heard how upset she was and did not dare to go near the workshop anymore. Hell, he even heard that she has been purposely ignoring him and refuses to speak to him. Now here she was, talking to him and smiling at him like nothing ever happened. He did not understand, or maybe it was a girl thing.

“Ah’, listen darling,” he said with hesitation. He rubbed his head as he spoke. “Ah’ just wanted to say that it was wrong of me to treat you that way. Ah’ should’ve never pushed ya away like that, ah’ was just stressed and tired. Still, that ain’t no excuse for treating ya like a bad friend.” Spy’s smile faltered as he was confused. What was Engineer talking about? Surely something must have happened before he arrived, but he did not know what it was, making him start to get nervous.

He played along as he shook his head and gave a smaller smile. “No, it’s okay Engineer. You were tired and it is okay, I completely understand. There’s no need to get upset.” He placed a hand on Engineer’s shoulder. “We’re fine, aren’t we? Hah, we’re still good friends.” Engineer paused as she watched her. He started to feel red lights flashing in the back of his mind. This was too normal and out of character for (y/n) to act like everything was fine. Thankfully, his goggles hid his eyes as he glanced behind to see (y/n) hiding something behind her back. He saw a yellow folder, causing him to think. “What was she doing in the file room anyway?” He thought.

“Well,” Engineer said, “I’m glad that you accepted mah’ apology darlin’.” (y/n) gave a smile as she gave him a hug. However, as she hugged him, he could feel that she was tense, as if she did not want to hug him at all. He slowly patted her back as he placed his hat back on when she departed herself from the hug. “I’ll see you later,” she said as she said started to walk away. Engineer watched her as he squinted his eyes. Once she disappeared down the hall, Engineer turned the other way and started to think. “There’s no way (y/n) would have let it go so easily,” he said as he started to walk back to his workshop.

…

Spy gave a face of disgust as he was out of sight, brushing his clothes off. “Disgusting cowboy,” he mumbled as he walked back to (y/n)’s room. He was glad that he managed to pull off (y/n)’s impression as he found himself standing in front of her room again. He looked around once more before he opened the door and closed it behind him once he entered. Spy locked the door as he transformed out of his disguise and back to his original form. He looked at the bed to see that (y/n) was still unconscious. He moved a chair from the corner of her desk as he moved it to the edge of the bed. Then, he walked over to the window of her bedroom and made sure that no one was able to see him. Her room was faced out towards the Blu Base, so no one would be able to see him. Spy chuckled as he walked over and sat in the chair, waiting for the girl to wake up.

(y/n) opened her eyes and found herself standing in a small white room. The room had no windows, just four white walls and a metal door in front of her. (y/n) looked around for anything else, but she was the only one here. “Hello?” She said, hearing her voice echo throughout the walls. She slowly moved her feet as she started to walk around the room, feeling the walls with her fingers. It felt smooth, almost like plastic, but it also felt unbreakable. “This is a dream,” she said, “it must be.” (y/n) wandered around until she heard the door click as she turned around. The heavy metal door slowly opened, revealing a dark hallway in front of her. She squinted but saw nothing as she felt the wind blow into her face. She could have sworn she heard a soft whisper, but she ignored it.

(y/n) found herself slowly walking to the door and entering the dark hallway. She would be lying if she said she was not nervous as she continued walking. It was not that was afraid of being alone in the dark, it was the fact that she was not alone in the dark. (y/n) listened carefully for anything as she navigated through the dark, the door slowly closing behind her and leaving her in the mocking abyss. She felt herself jump a little as she heard the metal close and lock itself. She rubbed her arms to reassure herself it was nothing as she focused ahead. “Maybe if I continue walking, I’ll find something… right?” No doubt there was nothing else she could do but keep walking as the only sound she could hear was the soft footsteps that she made.

It felt like she was walking forever until she ran into an object, causing her to fall back on the floor. “Ouch,” she muttered as her head started to throb. (y/n) glanced up and reached her hand out to feel cold metal. She used her hands to feel around the object as she realized it was another door. She slowly got up as she searched for a door handle. The feeling of a cold handle made her way into her hand as she grabbed it and started to slowly open the door. The hallway flooded with light the more she opened it. (y/n) covered her eyes as she opened the door all the way as the amount of light increased in brightness. “Hello?” She called out as she shut her eyes. Nothing could be heard as she felt herself walking into the room and the door shutting behind her. “Hello?” She called out again, the intensity of the light forcing her eyes closed.

Suddenly, she felt the ground cave in as she felt the absence of the ground and the gush of wind that hit her from below. (y/n) realized she was falling as she let out a shrill scream as she felt herself falling deeper into the depths below…

(y/n) gasped as she woke up from her bed. Not too soon, pain shot through her system as she groaned from her aching muscles. She looked up and realized that her hands and legs were tied to the bed. “What the hell,” she said as she tugged on the ropes, realizing they were on tight. “Well, the princesse is finally awake,” said the voice. (y/n) recognized the Spy as she glared at the man next to the bed. “You,” she said as she hissed. Spy smirked as he lighted his cigarette and leaned against the chair. “I would expect you would be happy to see me chère (dear).” “Go to hell, you slimeball.” She spat. Spy placed his hand on his chest. “Ouch, you really are hurting my feelings,” he said in a mocking hurt tone. (y/n) gave out a bitter laugh. “As if you have feelings, you worthless rat.” Spy sighed as he leaned towards her. “Alright, it is time to get to business.” He stood up as he started to pace around the room.

“I have been in this place for many years,” he said as he took a drag of his cigarette. “I have fought many men throughout my time here, but I have never encountered someone like you in my lifetime.” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “I bet; you’ve probably been sleeping with too many men to know what a woman looks like.” (y/n) felt cold metal against her neck as she realized Spy placing a knife against her throat. “Careful Mademoiselle,” he said in a low voice. “If I were you, I would keep that pretty mouth of yours shut before I put it to good use.” (y/n) closed her mouth as he said that, causing him to chuckle and place the knife back in his pocket.

“Now,” he said. He held up the folder as (y/n) stared at it. She realized it was her information file. “I assume you know why I am here.” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “I already know why in the first place. I know you came here to look for Engineer’s little project; but you’re wasting your time. There is no time machine,” she said. Spy looked at her and smirked. “So, you know about the plan?” (y/n) stared him down as he walked around. (y/n) followed him as he moved. “Yeah, I know about your little shitty plan. So, I don’t know why you’re here when you can just kill me now.” Spy chuckled again as he leaned close to her ear, his breath smelled of smoke. “I came here just for you, amor.” (y/n) turned her head away from him as she cringed at the scent. “Why me?” Spy leaned back and sat comfortably in the chair.

“Your profile shows little about you, Mademoiselle. You really know how to hide yourself. But I would love to know where you came from.” (y/n) scoffed at him as she slowly started to find any loose knots with her fingers. “That file has everything you want, what more could you possibly want?” Spy opened the file again and looked through it. “You were taken from an orphanage in Germany. The report claims that you were abducted as a teenager; why?” He looked up at her as (y/n) stayed silent and stared at him. There was no way she was going to give in the information about herself, he could go shoot himself for all she cared. “No answer?” Spy asked. He gave a small shrug as he sat up and walked into the bathroom. She stared at him as the door hid her view as she heard movement and objects being pushed around. She heard the water running from the sink as it shut off a few minutes later.

Spy returned with a small towel in one hand and a cup in the other. (y/n) realized what he was going to do as she started to tug at her restraints. Spy noticed her body language and smirked. “Ah, so you are familiar with this method.” He chuckled as he walked over to her and stood over her vulnerable form. “So, are you going to tell me, or are we going to have to use the alternative method?” He asked in a silky voice. (y/n) glared as she spat at his face. He turned a bit from the impact and looked at her. Without warning, he placed the towel over her face and started to pour the glass of water over it. (y/n) started to suffocate as the towel consumed her vision, feeling the oxygen escape from her. She started to gasp for air but felt herself swallowing water as the need to breath intensified.

Suddenly, the rag was ripped away as she gasped for breath, the restraints feeling tighter as she coughed and felt the air return to her. Spy held the wet towel in his hand. “Now, will you start talking?” (y/n) continued to cough as she looked at him, the sheets soaked from the water and her hair became wet. “I-I wasn’t… a-abducted…” she managed to cough out. Spy said nothing as he continued to listen. (y/n) mumbled something, causing Spy to lean closer. “What was that, Mademoiselle?” He asked. She repeated the same thing, but softer. He leaned closer, causing her to headbutt him. Spy tumbled back and hit the chair, dropping the rag and grasping his head. “Merde,” he said as he felt a bump forming on his forehead.

“What a woman, playing hard-to-get. I love my women feisty, but it can be annoying,” he said as he recovered. (y/n) found her fingers digging into a small hole as she found one knot to start loosening from. Spy quickly got the rag and placed it over her head again, pouring more water than before. Again, (y/n) started to choke and gasp as she was met with nothing but the feeling of the towel as the sheets began to soak again. It felt longer than last time as she felt herself start to see spots in her vision. He pulled away just in time for her to cough again as she gasped for air. “Talk, or else I will make sure you will never see the light again,” he threatened. (y/n) coughed and turned her head to the side, her hair sticking to her face. He waited patiently as she recovered. 

“I was attacked that night…” she said. “Someone sent an assassin in the middle of the night to kill me, but I managed to buy time to escape before they could kill me. I ran away and tried to find money to leave away, covering my trace.” Spy raised an eyebrow as he slowly sat down in the chair again. “And why did you come here?” He asked. Her chest rapidly moved as she breathed in the precious air. “I moved here because I was in danger. There were people after me, as well as a price on my head. I had nowhere to go but here, and I was damn glad.” Spy nodded at her response as his fingers tapped on the cup in his hands. “It says your father was a diplomat in Europe.” (y/n) looked away from him as she stared out the window. She felt fingers grasp her face as she was directed to face him. “It is not nice to turn away from a conversation,” he said. (y/n) gave out a bitter laugh. “This is no conversation,” she said. Spy tightened his grip, making her hiss from the pain. “So, who is your father?” (y/n) said nothing as Spy stared at her, waiting for an answer. “I-I can’t… tell you that,” she said in a quiet tone. “Why not?” “Because, I can’t.” She said. Spy let go of her face as he walked to the bathroom to fill the water up again.

(y/n) quickly focused on the knot that was starting to loosen up in her hands, fiddling with the rope as the sensation caused her wrists to burn. She quickly stopped as Spy came back with a full glass. “Shit,” she thought, “he’s going to kill me soon whether he gets the information or not.” Just as Spy was about to place the rag down, she quickly spoke. “Wait,” she said, “I may not be able to tell his name, but I can tell you other things.” Spy stopped in his tracks as he smirked and pulled away the towel. He placed the towel down on the nearby table as he stroked her cheek. “Tres bon,” he said as she flinched from his action. “I am glad that you are finally cooperating with me.” He pulled away. (y/n) started to talk again. “My father… is trying to kill me. I can’t say his name, but I can tell you about him. He was a diplomat working for an important company in Europe during World War II. He used to work for Hitler during his reign in Germany, since he was one of the largest supply companies in weapons, armor, tanks, and so on. My father trained me to become his protector when he believed there were spies among us. As you can see, I didn’t share the same views as him. So, he wanted to have me killed; but I escaped just in time before the Allies showed up.” Spy nodded his head in fascination. He slowly got up and walked around.

(y/n) eyed him as he stared out the window, causing her to continue working the knots. “Well, that is certainly a lot of interesting information.” She froze as he saw the glint of his knife sticking out of his pocket. “I am thankful for the information you were able to share,” he said as he turned around. “Though I did not get the entire information, I am satisfied enough with your response.” Then, he pulled his knife out. “Sadly, I have decided I have no use for you anymore.” He leaned closer to her as (y/n) felt his breath on her face. “Though I do not usually do this to woman, you may make an exception,” he said as he softly kissed her cheek. (y/n) turned her head away and growled at him. “You’re a sadistic monster,” she said as he smirked. She tried to work the knots faster, but she lost her grip on it as her fingers burned from the texture of the ropes. (y/n) realized she was done for as he slowly opened his knife. Now, she could do nothing except pray that someone would come in and save her.

…

Engineer walked down the halls to his workshop until he saw Sniper lounging on the adjacent wall. Engineer said nothing as he tried his best not to make eye contact with him. Sniper looked up and noticed him going to his workshop. “So, how did it go?” He asked before Engineer could grab the door handle. The Texan slowly turned to the Australian sharpshooter. “Well,” he said, “it was… strange.” Sniper eyed him as he said that. “Wot do you mean mate, was it because she didn’t accept your apology? Well, boo-hoo.” Engineer slammed his hand against the wall. “Now you cut that out, son. That wasn’t the problem,” he said. “The problem was she _did_ accept the apology.” Sniper stopped his sarcasm as he stared at the Engineer.

“Wait, (y/n) accepted your apology?” He stared at him in disbelief. There was no way, Engineer had to be joking, but he gave him a serious look through his goggles. “Ah’ know, it surprised me too. In fact, she acted as if nothin’ ever happened. She even hugged me and said she was fine.” Sniper felt a chill go up his spine as he heard what Engineer said. Sniper knew (y/n) would have never acted that way towards Engineer. Hell, she was ignoring him for god sake, so why would she be happy to see him? Realization dawned on him as he looked at Engineer. “Did you see her do anything suspicious, mate?” Engineer thought for a moment. “Now that you mention it,” he said, “ah’ saw her coming out of the file-”

Engineer stopped the moment the pieces clicked together. Him and Sniper looked at each other before they started to run down the hall and toward the dorms. “Dag nabit,” Engineer said as Sniper ran and pulled the alarm. The sound of the bell rang throughout the base as the Administrator’s voice was heard over the intercom. “Intruder alert!” She said as the members stopped their tasks. The team immediately ran and picked up their weapons as they started to go around the base, searching for the enemy. Meanwhile, Engineer grabbed his pistol while Sniper took out his kukri as they ran to find (y/n). The hall split into two as the team members parted way to go on a scavenger hunt to look for their friend.

…

Before Spy could take his knife out to make the kill, the sound of a bell rang through the hallways. (y/n) felt relief wash over her as she heard footsteps underneath the room, indicating the team going into action after the alarm was triggered. “Ah, merde,” Spy said as he quickly got off her. “Engineer will have my head if I don’t get that machine soon,” he said aloud. (y/n) gave a bitter laugh. “Give up, Spy. You lost; you’re never getting to that workshop in time.”

As if on cue, the sound of footsteps was heard coming from the hall as Spy quickly grabbed the cloth and gagged (y/n). “You are going to hush like a good little agneau (lamb) while I go “help” the team.” With that, he opened his panel and transformed into her. He gave a smirk before he quickly opened the door and locked it, disappearing from her sight. (y/n) let out a scream, but most of it was muffled by the cloth. She tried to move it, but it was stuck tightly around her face. She started to tug on the restraints hard to get the bed to move as it rattled. She threw herself against the bed, causing it to hit against the wall. “Damn it,” she thought as she felt the footsteps start to disappear. “No… I let the team down.” She shut her eyes as small tears started to form around her eyes from her frustration.

…

Engineer huffed as he turned the corner to see Heavy, Soldier, and Scout run down the hall, passing their dorms. As they ran, Engineer noticed the form of a girl within the crowd. “Stop!” He yelled as he was about to chase after them, but they disappeared before they could go. “Damn it!” He cursed as he was passed the rooms.

The sound of faint rattling was picked up from his ears as he stopped in front of the door to (y/n)’s room. He checked the handle to see it was locked but heard the faint sound of someone moving. Engineer leaned his ear against the door to pick up the sound of a bed creaking. “(y/n)?” He said through the door. The sound stopped at the mention of her name. He assumed that the real (y/n) was in there. “Hang on (y/n), I’m comin’!” Engineer took his wrench out and was able to hit the handle off, unlocking the door as he used his foot to kick the door down.

The door came off its hinges as it fell to the ground as Engineer rushed in to find (y/n) tied to the bed. (y/n) was screaming at him through the gag. “Oh my god, (y/n)!” He quickly rushed over and started to untie the knots to her hands. Once she felt them loosen, she slipped through and took the gag off. “Spy,” she said, “The Blu Spy is with the team!” “Yeah, yeah, ah’ know…” he said as he started to untie her legs. (y/n) quickly stood up and pulled open a drawer, taking out her mechanical bow. Her and Engineer wasted no time in getting out and running down the hallway. “The Spy is trying to find the workshop,” she said as she ran. Engineer looked at her. “Mah’ workshop?” “No Engineer, the doctor’s office for his daily checkup. OF COURSE, YOUR WORKSHOP! He’s trying to find the time machine,” she said.

Engineer stopped running, causing (y/n) to look behind her and stop. “Engineer, come on we don’t have much time!” Engineer seemed shock at the mention of the time machine. “How in the hell does he know…” (y/n) grabbed his arm and started to pull him. “Engineer we can think about it later, come on!” He snapped out of it as they started to run down the halls. (y/n) was able to pick up the distant scream of their comrades as they reached a closed door. Engineer and (y/n) slammed it open to find their comrades on the floor in pools of red. “Damn it, he got to them,” (y/n) said. “He must be near the workshop,” Engineer said as they continued to run in the direction.

As they ran, Engineer saw the door to his workshop wide open. “That son of a gun,” he said as him and (y/n) readied their weapons and charged in. As soon as Engineer passed the door, a chair swung at his head, causing him to fall back and land on the floor with a loud thud. (y/n) quickly moved out of the way as a knife swiped near her head. She quickly dodged it and rolled into the room as she took out her bow and shot at the Spy. The Blu Spy dodged by ducking underneath one of the tables and flipping it over, causing papers and bolts to fall to the floor. (y/n) jumped over the table and brought her leg down to get the Spy, but he rolled out of the way and slashed the knife at her arm, causing it to bleed. She hissed but ignored the pain as she blocked his other attacks with the bow.

Engineer groaned as he slowly got up and grasped his head. Luckily, his hardhat blocked most of the impact. He quickly saw (y/n) and Spy fighting throughout the workshop. (y/n) grabbed a wrench and threw it at Spy, who ducked his head as the wrench buried into the wall. “Jesus Christ,” Engineer muttered before he pulled out his gun to aim it at the Spy. However, Spy lunged at (y/n) as they tumbled to the ground together, getting into a wrestling match. “Dag nabit,” Engineer yelled as he hesitated to shoot. Meanwhile, Spy tried landing a punch on (y/n) as she moved her head to dodge it. She quickly kicked him off her as she scrambled to pull her bow back, but he recovered just in time to grab the other end as they wrestled for the weapon. (y/n) pulled the bow back and used it to project herself forward, using her knee and kicking him in the chest. The Spy gasped for air as he was sent flying to the other side of the room. Engineer quickly aimed his gun and fired at the Spy, only grazing his leg. The Blu Spy landed in the small corner and screamed as the bullet penetrated his leg, tearing through his suit. (y/n) and Engineer aimed their weapons as the Spy dragged himself against the corner.

“It’s over,” said (y/n) as she readied her weapon. However, Spy started to chuckle as he looked at her and gave her a smirk. “What the hell are you laughing at, boy?” Engineer asked as he cocked his gun with a grim expression on his face. The sound of a teleporter starting up was heard from a corner of the room as (y/n) quickly turned around, only to have a bullet hit her side. She fell to the ground as the Blu Engineer appeared on the other side with his shotgun. “Stand down, boy.” Red Engineer looked back to see Spy get up and point his revolver at him. The Spy looked down to see (y/n) laying on the floor, a puddle of blood forming underneath her, staining blueprints and papers that were scattered along the floor. She laid there like a ragdoll: unmoving and face down. Red Engineer stared in horror as he watched his friend lay there.

Spy laughed as he cocked his gun at Engineer. “Aww, looks like our little amour died too soon.” Red Engineer growled as he gritted his teeth, but the Blu Engineer came up and aimed his gun at his head. “Fan out, Spy. The time machine ain’t gonna show itself.” “With pleasure, partner.” Spy put his gun away as he scoped the room, opening the drawers. Blu Engineer pressed the gun against the head of the Red Engineer’s head. “Ya know, the whole thing’s kinda funny to me. At first, ah’ didn’t believe it when ah’ saw it. You certainly outdid yourself this time. Ah’ saw ya coming in an’ out, sneakin’ around without your team noticin’ ya, but then ah’ finally figured out what you were up to.” Red Engineer curled his fists up. “You damn Texan son of a bitch, I’ll get you back for this.” Blu Engineer let out a chuckle as he glanced down and stared at the lying corpse on the floor. “It’s too bad,” he said, “we coulda had it another way had she not gotten herself involved. She should’ve minded her own business from the moment she heard us, ain’t that right Spy?” Spy chuckled as he moved more papers and gadgets from the drawer. “It is a shame that such a petite fleur (little flower) must go to waste. It was expected anyway; flowers do not last long in this world, they die eventually.” Blu Engineer started to laugh until Red Engineer socked him in the face, breaking his goggles in the process. “YOU SONS A BITCHES!” He yelled until Spy threw a wrench at him, causing him to fall to the ground.

He felt the top of a revolver pressed against the back of his head. “I would be careful if I were you, cowboy. We would not want another life lost today now, would we?” Red Engineer could feel the rage coming off his face as his fists were balled to the point they started to hurt. He was mad: he was angry at himself for not seeing this sooner, he was angry at himself for being so reckless and going in the room without checking, he was angry at himself for at least not calling backup. But most of all, he was angry at himself for what he did to (y/n), how he yelled at her, how he insulted her, and how he said for her to… _just die._ Now, he got the wish he wanted as he looked at her dead body laying on the floor, the blood soaked up from the papers. Engineer could feel his eyes burn as he felt tears start to form, guilt and anger washing away and replaced with regret and sorrow. His body started to shake as he realized that she died before he got to take back what he said, and now he was facing the consequences of his actions.

A choked sob escaped from his lips as he felt the tears collecting into his goggles, causing the Spy to notice. The cruel man started to laugh as he mocked the crying man. “Look at that, the little cowboy is crying like a baby!” He started to snort as the Blu Engineer recovered from his attack. “Now Spy, ah’ think we’ve hurt him enough.” Spy snorted as Blu Engineer started to look around the room. “Now, ah’ think it’s time that you tell us where this time machine is, Red,” Blu Engineer said as he walked over and stared him down. Red Engineer felt his lips tremble as he stayed quiet. Spy gave a tsk and shook his head. “Nothing to say, then I’m afraid he wouldn’t mind if I did this.” Spy took his revolver away as he went over to the corpse and placed his foot on (y/n)’s head. “No!” Engineer shouted as Spy began to dig his foot into the girl’s head, twisting it a little. “Stop, please! I’ll tell y’all where it is damn it! Just please, stop!” Engineer pleaded and yelled as Spy laughed at him and took his foot off. “Does it hurt? It does, doesn’t it?!” Red Engineer felt his hands tremble as the Blue Engineer waited for him to show him where his possession was.

Engineer gave a shaking sigh as he slowly stood up and walked over to a corner. He revealed the red button in the smallest corner and pressed it, causing the sound of a door opening. Blu Engineer and Spy looked over to find a hidden door start to slowly open, revealing a dark room. “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Blu Engineer taunted as Red Engineer just stood there and said nothing. “Come over here and show us,” Blue Engineer said as he pointed his gun at him. Red Engineer quietly walked over to the dark room and turned on the light. He showed them inside as they looked around the room.

It was smaller than the workshop, but it had lots of advanced gadgets and technologies. There were blueprints pinned to the walls and multiple tools scattered about with fancy gadgets placed in boxes and on smaller tables. Red Engineer stopped in front of a table with a box that was locked. Blue Engineer cocked the gun at him. “Open it, son.” Red Engineer obeyed as he reached down his shirt and revealed a necklace from his neck. However, there was a key hanging from the chain as he detached the necklace from his neck and inserted the key into the hole.

The sound of the lock was heard as it clicked and Red Engineer slowly opened the box as the Blue Engineer and Spy peeked over his shoulder in awe at the sight before them, but they were mostly surprised at the sheer size of the contraption.

Engineer revealed two special watches with a timer on them. Some of the wires were sticking out as they glowed a light blue while some of the buttons that surrounded the surface started to blink. There was a strap that indicated that it was meant to be warn as some sort of watch. The “watch” had a screen that showed the time of the present year as it glowed a light blue from the screen. The Blu members smirked at each other as Engineer chuckled. “Amazin’, just incredible. I told ya he made it, just look at that beauty.” Spy nodded as he stared at the “time machine”. “Indeed, we should thank you for your gift to us.” Red Engineer heard the click of a trigger as Spy pointed his revolver, reading to fire. “Please, allow us to return our gift to you as a token of our generosity.” Red Engineer sighed as he shut his eyes, waiting for the shot to fire.

The shot fired as the room went silent. Red Engineer kept his eyes shut, but realized he was still alive. He slowly opened his eyes and turned around to find Spy’s hand trembling with the revolver. Engineer looked to the other side to find Blu Engineer with a hole through his hardhat. Blood started to pour from it as he said nothing and collapsed on the floor. Engineer looked at the door and gasped.

(y/n) stood at the doorway with her bow pulled back again. “Drop dead, you dick,” she said. Blue Spy stared in shock as she aimed the bow at him. Without hesitation, Spy grabbed Engineer and push him towards (y/n) as he tumbled on top of her. Both fell to the ground as Spy quickly grabbed one of the time machine watches from the box and wrapped it around his wrist. Engineer landed on top of (y/n) as she lost her breath for a moment. “Oh god, ah’ am so sorry,” he said as he started to get up. Spy started to work some of the buttons until one of the coordinates started to blink rapidly as the year started to change. The numbers showed “1860” as Spy wasted no time in pressing the red button. A flash of light started to swirl around him as he started laughing as (y/n) finally got up.

Wasting no time, she ran straight towards Spy as she grabbed him by the waist the last second before a blinding light flashed throughout the room, causing Engineer to shield his face with his gloved hand. After the light finally passed, Engineer looked back only to find the two of them go. “What the hell?” Engineer gasped as he realized (y/n) had disappeared with Spy in time. “Shit,” he said as he ran to the other time machine left.

When Engineer built the time machine, he was able to make two of them. During his building process, he was able to connect the two together to share the same data. Engineer checked the screen on the time machine watch and looked up the status of the second time machine. “1860… what the hell?” Engineer said to himself. He was glad that the time machine worked, but he was concerned about the fact that (y/n) was taken back in time with Spy and she did not have a time machine to get back to her time. Engineer wasted no time in grabbing the time machine and running out the room. He ran to a bigger panel in the room and turned on a screen while hooking up the data from the time machine. The screen showed data from the time machine and other numbers that Engineer understood. He sighed when he realized the time momentum was stable.

On cue, the rest of the team came in and looked around the room. “What the hell is this?” Scout asked as he saw the mess in the workshop. Medic, Sniper, and Spy came from behind the boy as they stared at the mess. “Thank god y’all are here,” said Engineer. “We got trouble; Spy has taken (y/n) back in time!” Scout scratched his head as the rest of the team processed what he said. “What?” Spy asked. Engineer sighed before he started to explain what had happened before they got here.

After he had finished, the team stared in awe and shock. “Wait, wait. You’re tellin’ me dat you built a time machine that works?!” Scout exclaimed as he stared at Engineer with a look. Engineer nodded as Spy rubbed his chin. Medic looked at the contraption in Engineer’s hand before looking back at him. “So, (y/n) is stuck in zhe year 1860 with the Blu Spy as ve speak?” Engineer sighed. “I’m afraid so.” Sniper said, “Then, we gotta go get her back! We can all go, roight?” Engineer shook his head as he played around with the spare time machine. “I’m afraid this thing is only stable enough to carry one person through time. Ah’ didn’t test this yet, since this is only a prototype. Ah’ have to get (y/n) back before the space and time continuum starts to become unstable.” Engineer turned to the screen as he showed a meter. “This meter shows the time continuum and the energy from the time machine.” He motioned toward a date that showed “1860” on the other side. “This is the year that the two are in as we speak,” he said as the team listened carefully.

“Let me use the machine,” Scout said. “I wanna go in time.” Medic pushed him back. “No, I vill go. I’m clearly qualified to go in time to get zhem both.” “Mate, if anyone’s gonna time travel, it’ll be me.” Spy sighed as he watched them fight like babies. “Engineer,” Spy said, directing Engineer’s attention from the screen. “Send me to go get (y/n), I can handle the Spy.” Engineer glanced back down at the time machine in his hand as he blocked out the arguments that the team started to have. He thought for a minute about the whole process: it was going to be dangerous for him to travel through time with a contraption that he has never tested yet. He did not know what damage could happen if he traveled through time, but he knew that if any events were to happen, then they would mess up the present, as well as the future. In addition, the time machine could only handle one person at a time, which is why it was dangerous for (y/n) to travel with the same one that Spy used. He knew that it was going to be a dangerous trip jumping through time, but if (y/n) gets trapped or if she gets hurt, then she may never come back again.

“I will go.” The team stopped arguing as they turned to Engineer, who started to wrap the watch around his arm. “Vhat, vhy can’t ve go?” Medic asked as they watched him set up the screen. “’Cause, this here is all mah’ fault,” Engineer said as the team went silent, “Ah’ should’ve been more honest with y’all instead of hiding this from you. Ah’ feel bad for what ah’ did to (y/n) and ah’ should’ve been a better friend. She’s wounded and stuck in time because of me, and ah’ intend to get her back and make up for what ah’ did.” Sniper took a step as he interjected. “Mate, oi know this is hard for all of us, but are you sure that you can handle this?” Engineer looked at him and nodded. “Absolutely, son.”

He started typing in the date as he set up the location: London, England. The team watched him closely as he was ready to press the button. Then, he spoke. “Ah’ need you guys to watch the screen. Ah’ installed a communication system to communicate through time when ah’ go. So, keep me in check if anything on the screen starts to change.” Scout whined. “Aw man, I really wanted to go in time.” Spy slapped the back of his head, causing Scout to yelp. “What the hell?” “You imbecile, can’t you see that this is serious? You would use the machine for your own pleasure while (y/n) gets killed.” Scout crossed his arms together and grumbled. Medic stayed silent as he watched Engineer get ready to go. “Good luck,” said Medic. “Go get our Sheila back,” Sniper said as he gave him a small nod. Engineer waved them before he looked at the button and pressed it.

A small light started to appear as it swirled around him, consuming the room in light as it started to brighten. The team started to cover their eyes as the room was flooded with light. Engineer closed his eyes as he felt himself taken away from the present and travel through time. Once it was over, the team uncovers their faces to see Engineer gone, leaving nothing left in his trace as they prayed that he made it safe with (y/n).


	7. Trapped in Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After (y/n) disappears with Spy, she is thrown into a different era that she has never seen before. She feels everything start crashing down as the situation starts to affect her and Engineer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is a short chapter, but it feels longer because I've been working on this for about two hours. Who knew this would take a long time to write? Anyway, I realized how short it was after scrolling through the chapter. Sorry, but I think the next chapter will be longer than this one.

The feeling was strange to say the least. It felt like one could feel weightless as if they were underwater and looking up at the surface; except there was no surface, only darkness. Though (y/n) did not open her eyes, she felt herself traveling through some kind of tunnel as she felt the wind blow her hair back. She wanted to open her eyes, but her mind said not to. It was a strange feeling that bubbled into her stomach, like that feeling when you go down a rollercoaster. It felt like she was the only one experiencing this, as she could not feel herself holding Spy like she was, though another part of her knew that she still had her arms wrapped around him. It felt like a few minutes passed as she started to wonder if Engineer was traveling behind her with the other time machine. She felt herself traveling downward as her body lunged forward, feeling herself falling like she had in her dream before a blind light consumed her body.

The first thing she felt was a rough yet smooth ground that she felt with her fingers. (y/n) groaned as she immediately felt a headache form. She grasped her head as she slowly opened her eyes. She slowly sat up as her eyes adjusted to the sight around her. (y/n) glanced around and was greeted by the sight of dark brick buildings that looked like they aged for a long time, the sky was dull and there was barely any rays of sunshine, and there was the sound of people walking as the sound of carriages and horses were heard. (y/n) looked at the ground and realized that the ground was covered in a cobblestone pathway. “What the heck?” She slowly sat up as she found herself in a small alleyway. She turned to see that it led to a main street with a large crowd that continued to walk endlessly.

(y/n) was shocked at a few things: one was she could not believe the time machine worked, but the other thing was the change in scenery from how she realized that the people were dressed differently. The women were dressed in ruffles and fluffy dresses with silk and sleeves. The dresses drifted all the way to the floor and even scraped the cobblestone steps as they walked to their destination. Their hair was up in different buns and hairstyles as some bonnets decorated their hair while others had small ribbons and fancy hats. The men were dressed in the same style as some had long pants and wore long coats that complimented their vests and sleeves. Some of them wore tall black hats and some wore short ones as they wore fancy mustaches and canes. If someone told (y/n) that she was stuck in a Sherlock Homes movie, she would have believed them; but she knew that she traveled somewhere in time as she gaped at the crowds. It was nothing like what people dressed like in her time with shorter dresses and casual attire. “I can’t believe it,” she said, “it works, the time machine works.” She glanced around as she watched the people in carriages pass by, not noticing her in the alleyway.

A sudden thought came to her as she realized one thing: Spy was nowhere to be seen. She quickly looked around the alleyway. Surely, he should have been here if she was holding on to him. “Where the hell did that rat go?” She said aloud as she glanced around. A sound was heard from behind her as she quickly turned around and saw a light appearing for a moment before Engineer appeared. He quickly grabbed his head as he groaned. “Boy, what an ache,” he said. (y/n) quickly ran to him. “Engie, you alright?” Engineer nodded before the headache started to dissipate. “Did you get that Spy?” “No, he wasn’t with me when I woke up. I don’t know if he got here before I did, but I was sure that I was holding onto him as we were taken.” Engineer rubbed his head as he quickly took notice of where they were. “Engie,” (y/n) said, “where are we?” Engineer sighed as he glanced at the year of his watch. “Ah’ believe we’re in London.” (y/n) gaped. “London? Engie, I’ve been to London and I can tell you that people do not dress like this in London anymore.” Engineer shook his head. “I’m absolutely sure we’re in London and you’re right darlin’, people don’t dress like this anymore; but that’s ‘cause we’re in a different year.” He lifted his arm and tapped the screen to indicate those four numbers. “We’re in 1860 in London.”

Suddenly, Engineer looks past (y/n) and sees a flash of blue among the crowd. “There he is!” Engineer wastes no time in starting the chase as (y/n) quickly snaps out of her dazed state and whips around as she starts to run after them. They wasted no time in revealing themselves as (y/n) could hear several gasps emerge from some people in the crowd as ladies pointed their fingers at (y/n). Since all she wore was a shirt with some pants, “How dare she show her ankles!” “She most certainly is a prostitute!” “Look at her run naked, how barbaric!” (y/n) rolled her eyes and shouted back as she ran. “This is how most of America looks you weasels!” She stared ahead to see Spy laughing as he ran into a bustling marketplace in the street as Engineer followed behind, pushing himself through the crowds. (y/n) saw the crowds get bigger as they neared the marketplace. “There is no way in hell am I ever going to get through this,” she thought.

(y/n) glanced up to see some low buildings with ladders. She wasted no time in jumping onto a ladder and start to climb up as she made her way onto a rooftop. (y/n) started to hop along the roofs as she stared at the market below, trying to find the blue streaking among the crowd. She spotted Engineer with his orange hat as he pushed himself along the crowd, earning a few yells and protests from his actions. “Sorry y’all,” he kept repeating as he made his way. Spy started to laugh as he began to knock a few crates along the way, causing fruit and other food products to fall among the path. Engineer quickly hopped over some of them as they rolled his way until Spy found a cart full of wine barrels. He smirked as he pulled out his knife and cut the ropes that held them in place, causing the barrels to start tumbling down as they started to make their way down the street. Engineer cursed as people started to move out of the way, screaming as the barrels came tumbling at his direction. Engineer quickly dodged some of the barrels as he pushed a few people out of the way.

(y/n) hopped onto another building as she spotted Spy darting down an alleyway. She realized that she was able to stop him as she leapt off the building and fell to where Spy was. She felt herself come into contact with a plush surface as she fell on top of Spy as both began to roll and crash to the ground. (y/n) fell off him as she rolled back and stopped herself, kneeling on the ground. As Spy tried to recover, (y/n) quickly darted after him; but she did not see the gun on his side until he aimed it at her. She quickly jumped in front of a cover as he fired, the shot ringing through the alleyway.

Engineer was able to avoid all the barrels before he heard a gunshot ring through the market. People began to flee and scream from the sound as they darted from different places, causing them to bump into Engineer. He quickly shoved them off as his heart raced. He thought that Spy had gotten (y/n) before she could stop him. Engineer quickly ran to the source of the sound as he found himself in front of an alleyway. Spy was crouched on the ground as he aimed his gun at a small covering. Spy heard another pair of footsteps as he glanced up and saw Engineer behind him and aimed his gun at him. He pulled the trigger as the sound of a bullet was released from the barrel as it sailed towards the Texan.

For some odd miracle, he raised his gloved hand up as the bullet pierced his hand and ripped through the rubber fabric. However, the bullet was caught and dug into his hand as he covered his face. Engineer quickly hid behind the wall for cover as he lifted his gloved hand. The bullet was there alright, but it was embedded in a piece of metal from his hand. He peeked through the hole as the bullet was stuck between two metal parts of his robotic hand, giving him a sigh of relief. He turned his attention back to Spy as he slowly peeked his head around the corner. (y/n) quickly took out a gun from her pocket as she aimed it at Spy, who moved out of the way as she fired. Engineer saw Spy start to punch in new coordinates into his time machine as he laughed as (y/n) started to aim at him again. However, the bullet went straight through Spy as he managed to teleport as the bullet hit against the stone wall.

“Damn it!” (y/n) yelled as Engineer ran out of his spot and towards the spot where Spy left. “Dag nabit, he figured out how to use the damn thing,” he said in frustration. He looked at his watch and starts to trace Spy’s location through the time machine. “Don’t worry,” he said, “ah’ can trace his location through this one. These prototypes are connected by a small string through wormholes in the time continuum.” (y/n) let out a few breaths as she watched him look through his panel. “Let’s see…” he said as he punched a few things in. “Got it,” he said as he showed the screen to (y/n). She squinted as she saw a new set of numbers on his screen. She was confused as she saw “1330” put in as the year in one area of the screen. Next to it, she saw an area that showed a distinct location. “Italy?” She asked as she looked up at Engineer. “It seems that he plugged in some random coordinates to Italy.” “But, that’s a completely different time period and location from where we are now.” Engineer sighed as he started to punch in the coordinates into his box. “Ah’ know, but we gotta follow him before he does more damage to places like this.”

(y/n) watched as he started punching in the coordinates to the time machine as she started to think. Hell, it had been a crazy week for her so far from getting yelled at to being interrogated and traveled back in time. She refused to believe that all this happened in two days, but she could not ignore the thought. She kind of felt regret for getting involved in the first place; if only she had not gone into Engineer’s workshop to get yelled at, which caused her to overhear the Blu’s plans and getting beaten by Spy. By far, she had never felt more stressed in her life after what happened. To top it all off, she was taken back in time with a time machine that worked to find herself in a different era than her regular year and home. (y/n) took a step back and leaned against the wall as Engineer started to press a few other buttons. Her head started to hurt from thinking about everything that occurred to her. Even through all this, her mind started to drift back to the yelling and screaming in the workshop when she remembered Engineer saying all those insults. She felt her brows furrowed. “God, why the hell am I thinking about this now?” She thought. (y/n) glanced back up at Engineer, who was fumbling around with the watch. Now that she thought about it, she felt a sensation come from her chest. Part of her mind was still stable from the events as she felt anger rise from her chest. “How could Engineer brush this off, how could he treat her like nothing ever happened? What the hell, he seems to be handling this situation better than I am!” (y/n) was taken aback by her thoughts. There was no time to think about her feelings right now, they had a Spy to catch for god sake.

And yet, she felt that her mind was experiencing that one thing… what was it called again… oh. It was called closure. Though she was not thinking about it, her mind was. She could feel that she was still hurt from what Engineer said about her earlier before this happened. She was still sad and upset about his words and how she was later shot and almost bled to death. Luckily, the bullet managed to dig into her skin, but not that much like she thought it would. It took a while for her to recover before she was able to wake up again and kill the Blu Engineer. Back to the topic, another thought came into her mind. In a way, Engineer treated this situation like everything was fine and that what he did never happened. The thought of Engineer brushing his insults made her feel angry again. “No, that’s not it,” she reassured herself. “Engineer will probably apologize later or something…” but she looked at him again to see him satisfied as he got the time machine to connect.

The sight made (y/n) doubt herself as she saw how he was back to working on his time machine and was determined to get Spy. Do not be mistaken, she was determined to get Spy as well, but she felt that her mind was not satisfied and felt sick after how much she dealt with today. She sighed as she shook her head as she wanted to hit herself. “No, now’s not the time to act like a spoiled brat,” she thought as she looked at Engineer. She thought for a moment before she groaned. “Fine,” she mumbled as she walked up to him as he continued to fiddle with his watch.

“Finally, ah’ managed to hook up the communication system to our base. Ah’ found a way for us to talk to our team back in the present,” he said. However, (y/n) ignored the statement as he looked up and found her glaring at him with her arms crossed. “What?” He asked with confusion in his voice. “What do you mean ‘what’?” (y/n) said in a poisonous voice. Engineer was taken aback by this. Since when did (y/n) ever sound like this? “After everything that has happened to me, I demand to know a few things.” Engineer gaped his mouth as she stared him down. “Really? (y/n), we got a sucker to chase down.” “I don’t care!” She yelled, feeling her stress getting to her mind. “First, I get yelled at and insulted as I’m thrown out of your damn workshop because I was concerned about you and from the fact that you were hiding this,” she pointed at the time machine, “from me! Then, I get beaten up and tied to a freaking bed with Spy interrogating me, to which leads me to get shot in the side! Finally, … behold the grand entrance, I get sucked into a time traveling hole and get placed in the middle of… FUCKING LONDON IN THE 1800s!” Engineer cowered a bit from her yelling as her breath started to heave from anger. She waves her hands around to indicate the entire alleyway they were in. “And now,” she continued, her voice still lacing with anger. “You seem to be taking it well and brushed it off like nothing happened! Shit did happen Engineer, but it didn’t happen to you!”

Engineer put his hands up. “Woah, easy now darlin’-” “Oh, now it’s all of a sudden ‘darlin’’. What ever happened to calling me a scoundrel?” She said as she placed her hand on her hips. Engineer sighed as he slapped his head. “Mah’ god (y/n), are we seriously going to talk about this now? Spy is one step ahead of us in Italy right now, and you want to go back to talkin’ about what happened?” “YES!” (y/n) yelled as she groaned and turned around, facing her back towards him. “God, you know what? Forget about it, it’s not like you cared anyway.” She said in a quiet voice as her anger slowly drifted away, leaving a pang of sadness. “Whatever,” she said as she started to let her hands fall to her sides. “Let’s just focus on getting Spy.” Engineer stood there for a moment before he let out a huge sigh.

He refused to argue with her because she was right. He did say a lot of things to her that night that he swore to himself he would never say again. He refused to believe she was dead when she was shot, thinking he had lost her and took punishment for his words. When he found out she was ignoring him, he felt bad and wanted to beat himself up. Now, she was dragged into something that put them both in danger and he knew it was going to get worse the more they continued to travel through time, with only one time machine to share between them. Engineer found himself wishing that it would have been better if he told her about his work rather than hiding it from her. Things may have been better, they might have been fine, they might have figured things out before they happened; but now they were stuck in a time-traveling adventure that he could not believe could happen. Now, they were stuck chasing down a rat with his prototype, now they were stuck until they could get their other time machine back and travel safely to their present home. Engineer looked at (y/n) again to see her back turned towards him as she stared at the wall, arms hugging her side. He could sense that she was stressed out from the events and she was not in the mood for anything else. He thought for a moment before he started to walk over to her.

(y/n) sighed as she closed her eyes for a moment. Maybe she should have left it alone, maybe she should have sucked it up and continued with the chase, but now she was facing the consequences of her actions. She let her emotions get the best of her, she let the stress attack her mind and put her out of character, she let the anger and sadness consume her and mess with her head for a moment. She felt small tears appear from her eyes as she was about to cry in frustration. “God, why did it have to be like this, why did I have to bring it up now and mess everything up for me and-”

Her thoughts were interrupted by an overcoming warmth consuming her form as she opened her eyes. (y/n) felt something wrap around her, causing her to look down as she realizes two arms wrapped around her torso and someone leaning against her back. She slowly turned her head as she saw Engineer burying his head against her shoulder as he gave her a warm hug from behind. “(y/n), ah’m truly sorry for what ah’ said. Ah’m sorry for pushing you away, you had a right to know what was going on. And ah’ was a damn selfish man for draggin’ you into this mess. Ah’ really appreciate the things you do for me, and ah’ noticed you cleaned the place and ah’m thankful for that. But, ah’ need you to be strong so we can head back home an’ fix everything.” (y/n) stayed silent as she listened to what he said. The apology put her mind at ease as she felt some of her anger dissolve from her chest. She felt how warm he was and how nice it felt. Her stress slowly drifted away for a moment as she slowly placed a hand around his head and rubbed the hardhat with her thumb and sighed. “I guess this whole thing has gotten the best of us,” she said quietly as she closed her eyes for a moment. She felt the tension between them leave as she started to accept his apology. She took her hand off his head as she slowly pulled away and turned around to face him. “Now, let’s go catch ourselves a Spy,” she said with determination. Engineer smiled and nodded as they he was about to set up the coordinates and press the button.

“So glad the two of ya are back together,” a voice said through the speaker. (y/n) and Engineer stopped before looking down at the thing. “See, I told ya I should’ve gone instead.” A slap was heard as Scout yelped through the speaker. “Shut it you simpleton,” a French voice said. “Wait, how is the team communicating with us?” (y/n) asked as she glanced at Engineer. “I told ya before, ah’ was able to install a small communication system through a wormhole in the whole system. It’s more complicated than that, but it will do for now.” A sigh was heard as Medic spoke. “In zhe meantime, zhe meter seemed to move a bit.” Engineer grimaced as (y/n) asked what that was about. “We gotta be careful when jumping through time. The space-time continuum can only handle so much at a time. If the three of us keep usin’ the time machine too many times, it may start to rip a hole in time.” (y/n) felt her face pale a bit from the thought of time being destroyed. “So, we have to be careful when we start to travel again?” Engineer nodded as Spy’s voice was heard. “Can you two save zhe questions for later and hurry up?” “Right,” (y/n) said as Engineer wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Hold on tight,” he said as she wrapped her arm around his torso.

Engineer pressed the red button as the white light started to swirl around them, consuming the alleyway in brightness as they felt themselves dissolving from the ground. In a flash, the alleyway was quiet as there was nothing else left but dust and the wind. This time, (y/n) felt herself holding onto Engineer as they felt themselves traveling through another wormhole. (y/n) kept her eyes shut, as if she were afraid that one look might make her let go. “It’s okay to open your eyes,” Engineer said. (y/n) slowly fluttered her eyes open as she stared in awe at the scene before her.

They were floating inside what seemed to be a round tunnel with flashing lights of blue and white. (y/n) peered as the tunnel became transparent, revealing multiple tunnels going in different directions around the area. “What is this?” (y/n) asked. “These are wormholes, this is what gets up from one place to another. Ah’ don’t know why there are so many though, ah’ would think there would just be one tunnel.” (y/n) glanced around as they were taken further into the tunnel. “Ah’ know it might seem like forever here,” Engineer continued, tightening his grip on her as they floated downwards, “but time is different from here than back in our time. If we were to stay in London for a day, it’s just one hour at home.” (y/n) stared up at him in amazement. “However, that doesn’t mean we can stay here for long,” he said. “Like ah’ said, the time machine was just a prototype, so ah’ don’t know what else could happen yet. We’re testing them out as we speak, so ah’ don’t know what other damage we could do if we keep jumping around.” (y/n) felt herself grow sick at the idea of messing up the time machine or anything related to it.

The two were thrown into a dark pit as they started to fall, feeling the rush of wind blow against them. “Hang on tight,” Engineer managed to yell as (y/n) squeezed him as the blinding light hit them. (y/n) closed her eyes as she buried her face into his clothing as the light hit her eyes and consumed their bodies and dropped them off on another adventure. 


	8. No, Not Leonardo Di Caprio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (y/n) and Engineer find themselves being transported to a time of pizza and spaghetti, but mostly painting involved as they find themselves outside of a town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this took two days to make. Sorry if the progress slowed down a bit, I've been busy with a few other things. I hope this satisfies your tea because things are about to get really interesting, well, I think they will but you can tell me what you think so far in the comments. Your support and love is deeply appreciated!

The sun shined in the morning sky as the grass waved slightly from the small wind that caressed life as it sailed away into the sky. The green hills gave color to the blue skies and greeted the birds as they sung their songs. If one were to look further, one could see the outlines of a small town that peeked through the distance with its brown and Tuscan structures, its glistening walls that shined form the sun and complimented the colors of nature. A small path connected nature and society together as it stretched across the hills and disappeared among the town. Time never seemed to stop in the town as the faint sound of busy crowds were heard, but nature was infinite in its ways as the birds continued chirping and the skies continued moving nonchalantly as they watched society from afar.

It would have been a beautiful sight for anyone; but it all came to a stop when a small light started to appear in the middle of a green hill as the grass began to move frantically the brighter the alien light got. The wind started to swirl around the light as it grew bigger until it disappeared, leaving two figures fall on the ground with a thud onto the soft grass. (y/n) fell on her bottom as she groaned and rubbed her head. “Is it me, or does time travel really give you a headache?” Engineer fell next to her as he landed the same way and shook his head as his eyes adjusted to the new light. “We’ll probably get used to after a few times,” he said as he blinked a few times. He stood up and offered a hand to (y/n), who gladly took it as he pulled her up. (y/n) looked at her surroundings, taking in the colors of nature from the green hills to the sound of the birds as they sung in unison.

“So, this is Italy,” (y/n) said as she soaked in the sunlight. Engineer nodded his head as he got a look around. He spotted the small town from where they were as his eyes trailed the path that was next to them. “Ah’ bet that Spy’s hidin’ somewhere in the town,” he said, pointing to the buildings. Before he could start to walk along the path, (y/n) grabbed him arm. “Wait a minute, Engineer,” she said. He stopped and turned around. “Whatever actions we do or whatever we change can affect the future, right?” “Well, of course it would. If we were to change somethin’ right now, then we could come back to a completely different world. In fact, time travel is not somethin’ to be playin’ around with. That’s why ah’ didn’t want Scout comin’ along, he’d do somethin’ like flirt with Queen Elizabeth.” Then, Engineer said something else. “But, that’s not the only thing we have to be careful with,” he said, causing (y/n) to perk her head up. “There are more things we have to worry about?” “I’m afraid so, (y/n). Time travelin’ has many rules that we have to follow to make sure the timelines don’t clash together, or we don’t shape the future in any way that could affect all of us. The worst thing that could happen to us is meeting our past-selves.”

(y/n) raised her eyebrows at his statement. “Wait, why can’t we meet our past-selves?” Engineer sighed as he rubbed his head. “Well, let me put it this way: if you were to meet your past-self, then this particular timeline would rupture and cease to exist.” (y/n) said nothing as she stared at him, causing Engineer to question her. “Are… you alright?” “WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU MAKE THAT THING?!” (y/n) yelled as she pointed at the time machine on his wrist. Engineer was taken aback for a moment. “… why not?” He said with a shrug. (y/n) stared at him with wide eyes. “Engineer, what if Spy visits our past-selves?” Engineer thought for a moment before his face turned grim. “Well, the worst he could do is… kill our past-selves. If he did that then… we wouldn’t be existing right now.” (y/n) could have sworn she felt the color drain from her face at the thought of herself starting to disappear from the world. “You mean… we would disappear forever?” Engineer nodded. “Ah’ believe so, once our past-selves are gone, then we become erased from the entire time line: whatever information or events that happened that involves us will be gone, as if we never existed in the first place.”

Both stared in silence for a few moments before (y/n) felt herself start to sweat. Engineer noticed her face start to pale as her palms started to sweat. Her face contorted as it scrunched up while her lips started to tremble and twitch. “Hey, hey… are you okay?” Engineer asked as he grabbed her shoulders. “What’s wrong, talk to me darlin’.” Nothing could have prepared him as (y/n) gave no warning as she suddenly kneeled on the ground and hurled the vomit that spewed from her mouth, clutching her torso as she coughed and choked. Engineer quickly stepped back as he watched her finish and hold her hand to her mouth, the excessive sweat running down her face. “Oh my god!” Engineer exclaimed as he slowly walked around and placed a hand on her back. “God, you’re most certainly not okay.” (y/n) coughed before she slowly got up on shaky knees. Engineer helped her up as he grabbed her arms and held her in place as she started to recover. “Yeah, that was a lot to take in for a moment,” she said in a groggy voice. Engineer rubbed her back as she blinked the tears out of her eyes before rubbing them away and clearing her throat.

“It’s fine, I’ll be fine,” she said as she sighed, still rubbing her stomach. “We should start making our way to the town. He’s probably doing something there,” she said as they began to walk along the path. (y/n) felt the feeling in her stomach settle down as she tried to take her mind off what Engineer said. However, she could not help but think about it. It was not that she was oblivious to time travel, she knew that the idea for time traveling existed. She remembers reading a book about time traveling by H.G. Wells in her younger years, but she thought that it was all for fictional purposes. And yet here she was, stuck in a time-traveling adventure and presented with all these rules that could cost them more than their life… their existence altogether. Now this started to make her wonder if Spy grasped the concept of time traveling and worried what would happen if he traveled to the past to look for her and possibly… She quickly brushed the thought out of her head as the town became clearer than before. Still, her mind kept drifting back to the thought of being erased, she could not bare the thought of never meeting the team or the team never remembering who she was. She would simply be plucked out of life like a child harvesting the flowers without a second thought, like her younger self plucking the thorns from the roses in her mother’s garden in Europe.

(y/n) grimaced as Engineer continued rubbing her back, making sure she was not going to throw up again from the stress and trouble they were facing. “Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked, making her snap out of her thoughts. “Yes, I feel much better than before,” she said in an assured voice, giving a soft smile at him. Engineer could not help but smile back. They walked in silence for a moment before (y/n) spoke again. “Do you think we’ll be able to make it back home?” Engineer turned to the side to see her staring at him. “Of course, why wouldn’t we?” (y/n) felt hesitant as she gazed off to the side. “I mean, a lot of things could happen to us here. What if we were killed, what if the time continuum overloaded, what if Spy kills our past-self and we cease to exist, or what if something happens to the time machine, what if-” She felt a gloved hand placed against her mouth as she stops talking. Engineer stared at her with a stern expression. “Now, listen here,” he said, “we’re gonna get back home no matter what. We’re not gonna disappear or get killed, especially since it’s you and me. Come on (y/n), we’ve gone through a lot of things. Damn it, we’ve almost been eaten by a tumor-filled bread monster. Besides, you’re the bravest gal I’ve ever met. You rush into battle without fear, and hell you wrestled that bread monster and you didn’t give a damn what happened. Sure, we could die, but you always stared death in the face and still beat his ass. Ah’ know you can get through this (y/n), and we can do this.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder as she looked at him in surprise. She has never thought of herself as anyone special, let alone a role model. She also felt that she was not exactly the perfect example that children would look up to, considering she has killed many people and worked as a mercenary. However, she can say that she had done some good deeds in her life, but if someone were to ask her if she did more harm than good, she would say yes with guilt on her side. So, she could not believe how someone like Engineer, who was a better example for a role model than her, could possibly look up to her and call her a strong and brave figure in his life. She did not feel like she deserved it, she wanted to deny it, she wanted to say to him that there were other people that were better examples than her. But when she raised her head to look at him, she saw the sincerity and honesty in his face. Though she could not see his eyes through the dark abyss of the goggles, she could assume that he was giving her warmth and comfort, even through the thick barrier that blocked them out. She did not know what to say as he waited for her response, giving her shoulders a soft squeeze. “But… but, I’m not a good person,” she said quietly. “Not everyone is a good person, we all make bad decisions an’ bad choices that we regret later when we get a damn headache in the mornin’.” (y/n) laughed a little at the comment as she sighed. “An’ another thing, you’re mah’ friend, an’ ah’ do look up to you and ah’ mean it.” (y/n) gave him a small smile, still unsure about it.

“Thanks Engineer,” she said. She turned her attention back to the small town ahead of them. “Now, let’s go catch that Spy,” she said in determination as Engineer gave a big smile in return as they continued to walk along the path.

…

A yawn is heard among the team as Scout leans against a chair and tosses his baseball around. “Man, how long are we gonna sit ‘ere?” Sniper sighed as he lowered his hat. “Ya know mate, you didn’t have to come.” Spy managed to light another cigarette as he leaned against the wall and blew a puff of smoke. Sniper glared at the Spy through his sunglasses as the smoke started to breach his nostrils. “He might as well kill all of us with that damn stick,” he thought as he turned his head away from the direction of the smoke. Medic left the room long before as he grew tired of looking at the screen, declaring that he was going to revive the other members with his medigun and possibly continue on with his experiments while they wait for (y/n) and Engineer to return. “When are these yappers gonna get ‘ere anyway, it’s startin’ to feel like forever!” “It has only been ten minutes you damn simpleton, and it would be better if you shut that little mouth of yours in all our favor.” Scout sat up in his chair. “You got a problem baguette head? ‘Cause I’m startin’ to think that you do.” Sniper rubbed his face as he continued to hear Scout rant about how he was better than anyone here.

“Hm, if you are as big as a man as you say Scout, then why did you need my help to set up that date with the dial tone?” Scout threw his ball at Spy, who stepped to the side and dodged it. “If I recall, your way seemed to fail in the end, correct?” Scout growled as he stood up from the chair. “Oh, shut up you rotten egg-head.” Scout started to walk up to Spy and put his face near his, smelling the smoke as Spy gave a small smirk at him. “Look at you, acting like a child. Tsk, and you call yourself a man.” Scout balled his fist and swung a punch at Spy, who seemed to predict his action as he casually ducked his head and stepped behind Scout. He swung his leg as he knocked Scout’s legs from underneath him as Scout fell to the ground and landed on his butt. “You rat!” Scout yelled as he quickly got up and swung another punch at the man as Spy continued to dodge, becoming amused at his attempts.

Sniper was near the door as he growled and rubbed his head. He could not understand how two grown men can act like children. Then again, he suspected that Scout was trapped in a mind of an arrogant child and Spy was just pushing his buttons for fun. Just when Sniper was going to intervene before the fight got worse, he saw something moving out of the corner of her eye. “Bring it on, tough nut!” “Oh, jealous, aren’t we?” “Shut up you wankers!” Sniper yelled as he turned his attention to the big screen. The room went quiet as Sniper stared at the hand of the meter. The others followed his gaze all three watched the meter on the side of the screen slowly rise as it traveled along the green line, inching closer to the yellow line. “Why the hell is it doin’ that?” Scout asked as he walked up and tapped on the glass. “You idiot, did you not hear the Engineer? That means as they travel in time, the meter gets worse,” said Spy. Sniper grimaced as he watched the meter stop just below the yellow line. “They don’t have much time to get back if they keep chasing him a few times.” Sniper bites the inside of his cheek as he stares at the meter. He can assume that (y/n) and Engineer can use the time machine about five to six more times before the meter reaches its maximum capacity, but if you include the Spy time traveling in the mixture, then that might cut the longevity.

“When are they gonna get back anyway, shouldn’t they have gotten that rascal about now?” “For the love of god, shut up Scout,” Spy said as he took another smoke. “Would both of you just shut your gobbers?” Sniper said as he played with a bullet in irritation. “Oh, please bushman, I am afraid you are pointing your insults to the wrong person,” he said as he indicated his head toward the Scout. “Whatever, I’m outta here. You can tell me when those two eggheads get back.” Scout got up and left the room, leaving Spy and Sniper alone. Spy gladly took Scout’s place as he sat in the chair in front of the screen. Sniper said nothing as the man continued to smoke and lean against the chair. “So,” he said as he twirled his cigarette, “what has been going on between the two of you?” Sniper slightly perked his head up at this. “Wot do you mean, mate?” Spy rolled his eyes. “Are you dense, bushman? You should know what I mean.” He crossed one leg over the other. “I am talking about the you and the Mademoiselle. It seems that the two of you are getting along quite well together in that van of yours.” Sniper grit his teeth at the comment, but turned his head to the side to calm himself down. “Wot the hell are ya on about?” “I’m curious to know what she said about the doctor?” Sniper turned to face him as Spy stared at him. “Did you think I did not know about the doctor’s little problem? He had been fine until (y/n) went in the lab with him, and after the two of you left Medic seemed to be in a bitter mood all day. So, I am curious to know what happened?”

Sniper gripped the bullet in his pocket as he said nothing and sat in silence as Spy waited for his response, slowly taking another drag from his cigarette. “Non? Come on bushman, cure my curiosity.” Sniper sighed and turned away. “It’s nothin’ mate, you act like oi know what happened.” Spy raised his eyebrow. “So, you do not know why Medic is upset at her?” “Oi don’t know why, mate.” Spy slowly looked away and nodded his head. “Hm, I can tell when you are hiding something.” “I’m not hiding anything, mate.” “Is that so?” Spy pulled his strings as he lazily sat in the chair. “Alright, then,” he said as he turned his attention to the screen. Sniper leaned against the wall as he avoided contact with Spy. It was clear (y/n) did not want to get involved in more drama or conflict, and even Sniper tried to avoid that, which is why he prefers to be along the sidelines doing his own thing. As it is, (y/n) already has enough on her plate from Medic, to Engineer, to getting sucked into time traveling and dealing with a thief. Sniper glanced at the screen and noticed she was in Italy. As much as Sniper wanted to keep guard, he had other things to do. He remembers that tomorrow was another match, and there was plenty of daylight left before the sun could set. “I’m leaving,” he said as he began to walk out the door. “Keep an eye on things, I’m going to practice moi aim for a bit.” With that, he left as Spy casually enjoyed his time alone in the room. The Frenchman let out a sigh as he took in the silence of the room for his leisure.

…

“Ciao!” The smell of fresh bread and wonderful food filled the town as the people talked in Italian with a small hint of English as they traveled up and down the streets that spread throughout the town. The men and women bustled around as they picked out fruit and opened the windows of their homes, listening to the market below them. (y/n) and Engineer waited on the outskirts behind a building as poked their heads out to observe the people. “He must be here somewhere,” (y/n) whispered as they watched the figures roam as they attended their own business. “Ah’ don’t know, we might have to go into town an’ search for the rascal ourselves.” “And how are we going to do that? Look at us,” she said as she indicated their clothing, “you look like an alien and apparently I look like a whorehouse.” Engineer gaped at her comment. “Missy, you are far from looking like that.” “Apparently I look like one according to London standards,” she said with an unamused look. Engineer sighed as he looked at the crowd. “Then we better catch a disguise for ourselves before we start our search.” (y/n) nodded in agreement. “It would be easier for us since the Spy will be looking for us as well. He won’t see us coming with our disguises,” she said. “But, how are we going to get our clothes?”

Suddenly, a woman stormed out of the building as a man followed in pursuit. The lady started yelling at him in Italian as the man looked like he was attempting to please her and calm her down with his hand gestures. However, the woman continued to yell as he started to plead with her again. (y/n) and Engineer looked at each other and back at the couple. “Don’t have to tell me twice,” she said as she quickly snuck around them. “I am done with you, Lorenzo,” she said in an angry voice. “No please Mia, don’t leave me I am sorry!” Before she could turn away and leave him there, (y/n) quickly grabbed her and pulled her down, knocking a rock over her head. Then, Engineer jumped onto the man and tackled him to the ground, hitting him with his gloved hand and knocking him out. They quickly dragged them away before they could be seen, going behind the building again.

“This is much easier than I thought it would be,” (y/n) said as she began to take the clothes off the girl. She started to get the dress as she placed the clothing against her body, nodding her head as she realized it was the right size. Engineer measured the man and found out that he was the same height as Engineer. “Ah’ reckon it was a coincidence,” he said. (y/n) laughed as she turned away from him. “People were much shorter back then, so in reality you’re just the right size.” Engineer nodded before he realized what she was saying. “Why in sam-hill are you callin’ me short? I’m taller than you darlin’.” (y/n) shrugged. “Only by a few inches really. Now, are you going to turn around while I change?” She started to take her shirt off as Engineer abruptly turned away from her, covering a small blush on his face. “O-Of course I am, what kind of man do ya think ah’ am?” (y/n) proceeded to take her other clothes off. “You never know Engineer,” she said. Engineer turned away and began to take off his hat and overalls as he began to take off his other equipment. (y/n) managed to put on the dress as she checked it out. The dress was semi-puffy with an underdress coated with silk fabric as the sleeves had slits that showed the puffy fabric sticking out. The dress hung over her shoulders and hugged her waist as she gave it a twirl, the dress flowing out with her movement.

She heard Engineer putting on his new outfit as he adjusted the small drape on his shoulder and placed the tights on. “Ah’ don’t feel Southern anymore with this,” he said as he stared sadly at the shoes and tights he wore. “Oh, come on, it’s just this one-time Engie. Now, are you done?” She heard him sigh as the sound of his goggles clinked in his hands. “Yeah, ah’ guess,” he said with his Southern drawl. (y/n) turned around and spewed out laughter as she looked at his form. She was so used to seeing him in his overalls and hardhat, but the outfit really made him look shorter for some reason. Engineer crossed his arms as he lowered his head. “Oh, hush now. You cut that out,” he said. (y/n) lowered her laughter and breathed heavily as she calmed down. “Okay, I’m sorry, it’s just… I’m not used to you being in other clothing.” Engineer sighed but looked at her form and scanned her form. He could not help but admire the clothing she was in, the dress complimented her figure as it swayed with her movement, the color of red and yellow laid against her delicate skin and made her eyes look brighter. He gave a small blush as he slowly looked away. (y/n) noticed and gave a small smirk. “What, seeing something you don’t like, is that why you’re looking away?” Engineer quickly shook his head. “N-No, it’s just that you look better than ah’ do in this.” (y/n) gave a small laugh as she looked at him. “Thanks, but this is most certainly not my style of clothing.”

She looked up and noticed his absence of goggles. (y/n) was awed at the sight of his baby blue eyes; they were different from an average eye color. They were like a soft blue that could give someone warmth and comfort, which matched his southern characteristics. She only saw him once without his goggles, but she only caught a glimpse of his eyes at the time. Now, she could really get a look at his eyes as they stared at her with curiosity. “Is there somethin’ that you like?” He asked in a small teasing voice as (y/n) realized that she had been staring for a while. “It’s just… your eyes are really blue. I never got to see your eyes that much, but you should wear your goggles off more, they’re really nice to look at.” Engineer felt heats rising to his cheeks as he felt the compliment produce a warm feeling in his chest. “Ah’, thanks for the compliment darlin’.” He said as he looked away. (y/n) gave a small smile. She noticed the watch around his wrist. “Oh, don’t forget to hide the watch,” she said. He looked down placed the watch inside his coat, snugging it tightly in a small pocket. He gave a thumbs up to (y/n) as she nodded her head. “Anyway, let’s go in.”

With that, (y/n) and Engineer slowly walked around the building and started down the path as they entered the crowd and the market. The mercenaries looked around as they examined the flawless structure of the buildings that stood before them as the sound of the market reached their ears and surrounded their forms. Most of the people at the markets spoke Italian, but she could also faintly hear some English. “Probably some travelers,” she thought as she gazed at the food in the small wooden boxes as a few children passed by them. Engineer kept an eye out for the blue rogue as he was unable to find the certain blue suit and the smell of smoke. “Ah’ don’t see him anywhere,” he said to (y/n). “He should be here somewhere, maybe he’s hiding in a house or something.” As they spoke, (y/n) caught notice of some people staring at them as they walked through the crowd. Some bystanders stared and started to whisper among themselves as they watched (y/n) and Engineer pass them. Engineer began to take notice as someone pointed at his direction. “Ah’ think they know we’re not one of them,” he whispered to (y/n) as she looked at him. “Engie, I don’t think they’re pointing at me: I think they’re pointing at you.” Engineer looked at her. “Now, why would ya say that?” (y/n) looked him over and compared him to the people who were surrounding them. She saw nothing wrong with her look: she was a woman who wore any ordinary clothing and fashion, so she was able to blend in easily. However, Engineer seemed to not fit in the trend. For one thing, he was bald, which was not very common in this era, and his accent gave it away the most since he was from the South. (y/n) whispered, “Engie, your accent is giving us away.” Engineer gave her a look. “(y/n), ya know ah’ can’t help it. It’s part of mah’ nature.” (y/n) rolled her eyes as they passed by the stands and spotted a small cover in the market. She guided him to there as people continued to watch them. “We’re attracting more attention,” she whispered as they kept their heads down.

As they passed by a small fruit stand, the man behind it noticed them. “Mi scusi signore e signora (excuse me sir and ma’am),” he said, but (y/n) assumed he was speaking to someone else. Before they could walk away, the man spoke again. “Excuse me sir and ma’am,” he said. This caused (y/n) and Engineer to turn around towards the man. The man, seemingly satisfied with their attention, walked around the stand, and walked over to them. He went up to Engineer and looked at his head. “I have never seen such a… hairless man in my life,” he said in an Italian accent. Engineer gave (y/n) a side glance as the man grabbed his face and moved it around to examine his head. “Ah yes, it feels so smooth,” he said as he ran his fingers across it. Engineer quickly moved his hands away from his face. “What in the devil’s egg are you doin’ there, son?” (y/n) elbowed Engineer’s side, causing him to shut up as the man stopped talking and stared at Engineer. “What is that?” The man asked. (y/n) spoke up. “What do you mean, sir?” “That… horrible accent?” He said with disgust. “I have never heard of anything like that! It is so… cattivo (bad)!” Some people stopped walking and stared at the three of them when he exaggerated his speech. (y/n) and Engineer looked around as (y/n) started to feel sweat forming on her forehead. “Oh, we’re just travelers that’s all. We’re not from here anyway,” she said as she gave a nervous laugh. The man stared back and forth between them as he took notice of Engineer’s form. “Shit, we have to distract them. If they keep staring at us like that, Spy might find us first before he takes off again,” she thought as the man continued to harass Engineer.

She looked back to see the man poking at Engineer as he continued to look at his bald head. “And what kind of place likes people with having a uovo (egg) for a hairstyle? It is absolutely atrocious!” Engineer felt his mouth twitch a bit at the insult. “Ah’ tell ya boy, if you were laborin’ around in a workshop, you’d want this type of hairstyle.” (y/n) quickly spoke up. “I’m so sorry sir, pardon my friend here. He thinks he comes from some dilly-dally town, but he’s a bit… special, if you know what I mean.” Engineer turned to give her a “are you serious” look before (y/n) gave the man a smile and placed her arm around Engineer. The man stared at her. “Really now?” He seemed to cross his arms as he looked at her. “Oh crap, he’s not buying it,” she thought. As if things could not get any worse, the man looked down to see the glove on Engineer’s right hand. (y/n) followed his gaze as her eyes landed on the glove. “Oh shit…” “What is that?” The man asked as he pointed to the glove. Engineer followed his gaze to see his hand as he muttered an “oh shit”. “Oh, he’s just covering a small scar that he got on his hand,” (y/n) said. “Why is it so orange, what is this made of?” The man tried to reach out to touch it but Engineer quickly retracted his hand back. “You better stand back, son.” The people gathered around as they whispered and listened to Engineer and his accent. “Dude, shut up!” (y/n) muttered. She could feel the crowd gathering as curious eyes looked at the commotion going on. “You know, we really should be on our way,” (y/n) said as she tried to pull Engineer away from the man.

Suddenly, Engineer feels the man grab his right hand as he tries to take off the glove. Out of instinct, Engineer quickly turned around and slapped the man’s hand with his free hand. “Hands off boy!” Engineer exclaimed as the man held his hand. People in the crowd gasped as Engineer realized the effect. “Damn it,” he thought as someone in the crowd pointed at them with anger etched on their face. “Come osa (How dare he)!” Some people in the crowd began to join in as they accused Engineer and pointed fingers. (y/n) groaned. “Oh, come on people!” They felt the crowd step closer as they said insults and started to yell. Engineer grabbed (y/n)and held her close as they slowly backed away. “Oh god, I keep forgetting that most of these people don’t believe in justice,” she said with sarcasm as they stepped closer to them.

“Stop!” A voice yelled above the crowd as the people stopped yelling. The crowd went silent as they turned to each other to figure out where the voice came from. Suddenly, the crowd turned behind them and gasped as they saw the figure that was approaching them. The people started to whisper again as they departed a pathway for the man as he dragged his robes along with him. (y/n) scanned the man who was approaching them. He looked fairly old, maybe in his 40s, with long and wavy grey hair running down from a black hat that he wore on his head and a long bear with a mustache accompanying his face. He wore black robes that hung around his shoulders as it stretched along his arms. People were gasping in shock, as if this man were a god. (y/n) stared at the man when a familiar feeling came to her. “That man… I know him from somewhere…” she thought as the man approached them. He placed his hand in the air to tell the quiet down as they stopped their whispering. “My apologies everyone,” he said in a thick Italian accent. “Mie scuse,” he said in Italian. The man that Engineer slapped gaped in shock as he stuttered, “L-Leonardo!” He quickly bowed his head as the painter stared at (y/n) and Engineer.

It finally clicked (y/n)’s head as she realized the man: Leonardo da Vinci. “Oh my god,” she mumbled as she stared in shock at the man. The man picked up the faint voice as he gave her a stern glare. “Ragazza (Girl), you will show me respect,” he said, causing (y/n) to close her mouth and look down at the ground. Engineer was confused as he saw everyone bowing their heads down and staring at the man until (y/n) elbowed him to follow her lead. The market seller spoke again. “Signore, these people have caused trouble in the market. The short man has-” “You are mistaken uomo (man), for these two are with me.” (y/n) shot up and looked at Leonardo as he gave her a look. The market seller sputtered as he looked between Leonardo and the two mercenaries. “Che cosa (What)?! B-But they are inhuman!” The man quickly shut his mouth as Leonardo glared at him and took a step forward. “You dare judge my choosing for my next portrait?!” The crowd gasped as they looked at the market seller as he cowered underneath his gaze. “N-No sir, I would never!” “Then you will make way and treat our guests with respect!” He exclaimed as he turned around to look at the crowd, who nodded their heads. “Now, go on. Return to your business,” he said as people turned away and continued their walk, some glancing back at the man before leaving.

(y/n) felt dumbfounded for a moment. She could not wrap her head around what was going on. At first, she was shocked and somewhat excited that she is meeting the real Leonardo da Vinci right before her eyes. Now, she was confused as hell. “How… portraits… what?” She mumbled. She wondered why Leonardo stepped in and declared that they were going to use the two of them for his “next portrait”. Then a thought came to her head, which made her face pale. “Oh god, what if we stepped into an event we weren’t supposed to be in, what if I was replacing someone else? Shoot, am I changing the timeline?” She started to shake as Leonardo turned his attention back to them. He noticed (y/n) starting to shake. “What is wrong with you, why are you shaking?” Engineer turned to (y/n) as he placed a hand on her arm. “Calm down, what’s wrong?” “N-Nothing,” (y/n) said as she tried to calm herself down. Leonardo rolled his eyes as he beckoned them with two fingers. “Come now, before you guys start another crowd.”

As he started to walk, (y/n) and Engineer trailed behind him as the crowd parted ways for them to walk. They stared in awe as Leonardo passed them, making comments about him. “I can’t believe it, one of the greatest painters in all of Italy!” “Not only the painting, have you seen his sketches of the human body? Beautiful, he is such a great scientist!” “Have you forgotten? He is also a great architect! Look at his designs if you do not believe me.” (y/n) looked around as all their attention turned towards the famous painter. Engineer whispered to her, “Ah’ don’t know why they’re all so worked up over this man.” (y/n) thought for a moment, recalling what she knew about Leonardo. “Hmm, if I remember correctly, he was famous for many other things besides painting: scientist, architect, inventor, and so on. But people admired him so much because he was a man of his time, a “genius”.” (y/n) observed the man before them, watching his moves as he guided them along the market. She whispered to Engineer. “Engie, you don’t think we’re changing any important event in history, right?” “Ah’ don’t know (y/n), ah’m more concerned with what’s gonna happen to us.”

They arrived at a home that rested upon a hill. The pathway connected with the entrance of the house that was built of bricks and high roofs with a large door that was on the largest roof there. (y/n) stared in awe at the gigantic home as they found themselves walking up to the home. A man was standing at the two doors that led to the home. “Must be a servant,” thought (y/n) as they felt themselves ascending the path. When the servant saw them coming, he immediately opened the doors and allowed the three of them to come in. “Bentornato a casa, signore (Welcome home, sir),” he said as he bowed. Leonardo passed him as he led (y/n) and Engineer into a hall of paintings and beautiful architecture.

(y/n) quietly spoke up. “Um, Leonardo, sir,” she said. Leonardo acknowledged her as he slowly turned his head to the side. “Speak up, please,” he said. “Um, why have you taken us here?” She asked as Engineer looked around the hall. “Simple, I want to paint you,” he said to (y/n). Engineer quickly turned his attention back to Leonardo as he stared at him. “You want to what now?” Leonardo stopped and turned around. “What, you believe I cannot paint the signorina? Why else would I have taken you here into my home?” Engineer gaped at him as he continued to walk them down the hall until they started to climb up the stairs to the second floor. Engineer leaned near (y/n). “Are ya sure this Leonardo guy wasn’t some kind of a… psychopath?” “Not that I remember,” she said as they arrived at a door. Leonardo pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, resonating a click. He turned to them. “Mi ospiti (my guests), I give you my room.”

He opened the door and revealed a huge room that left (y/n) and Engineer in awe. There were paint buckets and paintings scattered around, but that was covered by the sunshine coming through the huge window that stood meters tall in front of them as it shined down on a long sofa in the middle of the room with drapes along the cushions and an art easel on the side. “Wow,” (y/n) said as she looked around the room as Engineer opened his mouth. “What a beauty.” Leonardo seemed to put his chin up with pride as he led them into the room. (y/n) slowly walked as she scanned the room and its paintings. She spotted the all-too-familiar Mona Lisa sitting on one of the art easels. “Oh my god,” she said as she stared at the painting. It looked flawless, no dust, no smudges, just… perfect, as if it were recently painted. “Amazing,” she said as she glanced at the other paintings. “Of course, signorina. I am the Leonardo da Vinci, the greatest painter of all time. You seem to be acquainted with my previous work: the Mona Lisa.” (y/n) turned around and saw him raising a brow at her. “Well sir, we have seen the woman before,” Engineer said. “Ah, so you have met my modella (model) in person.” (y/n) nodded as she followed along with the lie.

Leonardo turned around as he picked up a palette and sorted through the buckets of paint, grabbing a few before bringing them over to the art easel and the sofa. “Signorina, if you would, please come and sit down. Make yourself comfortable.” (y/n) looked at Engineer, who nodded his head. She slowly walked over and took a seat on the couch, feeling the soft silk of the fabric. Leonardo reached over and placed his hands on her face, positioning her head to face him. She immediately tensed up at the action, feeling as though he could potentially snap her neck if he wanted to, but there was no way Leonardo was a psychopath, right? He noticed her tensed face as he stopped moving her head. “Signorina, I need you to relax your face for a better concept. I do not want to draw someone in discomfort. Please, relax. I assure you nothing will happen.” Taking his words, (y/n) slowly relaxed her face muscles and blinked a few times before Leonardo moved her head a bit to the side. Once he was satisfied, Leonardo pulled out a small book from his cape and grabbed the pencil from the easel. “Now signorina, I want you to hold still for me,” he said as he looked at her one more time before he began to put pencil on paper and draw his work out.

Engineer stood on the side as he looked at (y/n), who held perfectly still as he continued to sketch her. He felt a little annoyed since they did not have time for drawing or painting. “Leonardo sir,” he said as Leonardo issued a small grunt in his response. “Look, we don’t have time for things like this, we’re lookin’ for someone here.” “You should feel honored for me drawing your friend here. You should show some respect and not speak to me as I do my work, I am a very busy man and I like my work coming out perfect, so please quiet,” he said without looking at him. Engineer sighed as he rubbed his temples. (y/n) could find herself relating to Engineer, being a little annoyed at the whole situation. She wanted to say that she does not have time for this, who knows what Spy could be doing right now. But she also did not want to disappoint Leonardo or make him angry, or he might just kick them out and become a danger to the town. Then, an idea popped into her mind. “Engie,” she said, grabbing his attention. “You go to the town and search for him while I stay here.” Engineer shook his head. “Ah’ can’t just leave you behind (y/n).” Leonardo sighed as he stopped drawing for a moment. “If it is going to stop you from interrupting my work, then fine by me. But you might as well take this with you if you do not want more attention and trouble.” He set his things down and got up, walking over to a small drawer in the room.

“Let’s see…” he muttered as started pulling out multiple props. “Ah, here we are.” Leonardo pulled out a long black wig as he walked over to Engineer and handed it to him. Engineer stared at it for a moment before he looked back at the artist. “Are you serious?” Leonardo sighed as he put his hand out. “Fine then, might as well cause more trouble for the rest of us.” “Come on Engie, it’s just this once,” (y/n) said. Engineer groaned as he looked at the wig. “Alright, but don’t laugh at me.” He slowly put the wig on his head as he adjusted it to his liking. (y/n) tried to keep her promise as she stifled a laugh and averted her gaze from him. “Are you happy now, foreigner?” Leonardo asked as he returned to sitting down and picking up his book and pencil. “Fine, thanks. Anyway, are you sure (y/n)?” “Yes, Engie. I’ll be fine and I’ll be waiting for you here if you don’t find him.” Engineer nodded as he turned to head out. “If ah’ do, I’ll come back to get you.” “Yes, we get it. Now, get out, out, before you mess up my work,” Leonardo said as he waved his hand to indicate him to leave. Engineer sighed as he left the room, heading down the stairs and disappearing. Leonardo turned back to his work as he started to make a rough sketch of (y/n) as she sat there in silence, not knowing what else to do.

“Your friend is very stubborn,” he said, not looking up from his work. He continued looking at her and taking in the proportions as he sketched her out. “Well, sometimes,” she said as she continued to stand still. “He’s just a little scared to leave me alone, especially here,” she said. Leonardo nodded his head, still focused on the book. “I can tell. I can also tell that you two are not from around here.” “Well, yes. We are from… up north.” “Yes, I am well aware,” he said. (y/n) sat in silence again as she fiddled with her fingers. “I am only sketching from your face to your top torso.” (y/n) gave a small hum as she continued to stare at him. She still could not believe it; she was being painted by the one and only Leonardo da Vinci, but it was also strange because he was alive and well. It was like meeting a person who you thought was dead. “Yes, interesting hair… nice skin… lovely lips…” he muttered. “Signorina, I can tell you are not from here. Your facial features are very… unique. This will be very good for my painting,” he said. (y/n) was a bit flattered, considering it came from Leonardo da Vinci himself. “Why, thank you,” she said quietly. He hummed to her response.

…

“Just great,” Engineer muttered as he walked out of the house. “First, ah’ gotta get myself a Spy and then ah’ gotta come back for (y/n). Who does this man think he is?” He started to head back to the town as he scratched his head. “Dag nabit, this wig is itchy. Ah’ hate Italy already,” he said aloud as he walked along the cobblestone pathway. He kicked a few pebbles out of the way as he entered the town again It felt like 20 minutes had past before Leonardo finally set his pencil down. “And we are done.” (y/n) sighed as she stretched her neck out and stood up from the sofa, cracking her back. He turned the book over to her and showed her the sketch he made, causing her to gasp in awe. It may have been a sketch, but he was able to paint her as if he plucked her face and slapped it on the paper. She looked so delicate on the paper, so real, so life-like on just a sheet of paper. “Wow, it’s so… perfect,” she mumbled as she examined the sketch. Leonardo smiled with satisfaction as he got up and began to set up his art easel. “Now signorina, this painting may take a while. I would say about… two hours at least.” (y/n) stopped as she turned to him. “Two hours? And I have to hold a pose for that long?” Leonardo nodded his head as he examined the book and the proportions. “Yes, can you do that for me?” (y/n) turned away and thought for a moment. “This is a little ridiculous,” she thought, “I really don’t have time for this, but I also don’t want to insult anyone else. As it is, we already caused a ruckus at the market just by talking.” She sighed as she faced him again and slowly sat back down on the couch. “Of course, I can,” she said with a smile. Leonardo gave a big smile and clapped his hands as he set up his paint on his wooden palette. “Magnifico!” He exclaimed as he placed a rag on the side and grabbed a paintbrush as dipped it in the mixed paint. (y/n) sighed as she relaxed her face. “This is going to be a long day,” she thought as Leonardo set to work.

Instead of going through the center where the big crowds were, he decided to steer to the quieter side of the town. Engineer made his way down a different path to where there were smaller crowds of people hanging around. They were scattered along the town as the children ran past him as they played with their wooden swords. Engineer scanned the area for anything suspicious, looking at men hanging around and speaking in rapid Italian. He sighed as he walked along the pathway, looking at the windows for any patch of dark blue. Engineer seemed to blend in well… if he refuted from speaking in his southern drawl or take the wig off. Yet, nothing seemed wrong as he glanced around as the ladies did the laundry and hung them on the line outside their homes. A young-looking woman spotted Engineer from the balcony and gave him a little wave with a wink. Engineer gave a small smile back and lowered his head as he heard her giggle.

Engineer sighed as he leaned against the wall, frustrated for searching for an hour for Spy, only to find nothing. He placed his face in his hands as he slowly slid down and sat on the ground. Finding Spy around the base was easy but finding him in a town in Italy was worse, especially since he could become invisible. Now things were getting harder since (y/n) was absent, which means he had to deal with this by himself. He sat in silence for a moment before he could not take it anymore. He decided to call the team to at least converse with someone. Engineer glanced at his hidden watch as he looked at the screen. He quickly looked around before he got up and backed away into a dark corner of the town. He took out the watch and typed a few things on the screen before he spoke. “Anyone… come in,” he spoke to the watch.

Engineer heard nothing until a smooth voice came sounded over the speaker. “Bonjour, cowboy,” said the French voice. Engineer groaned as he rubbed his head. “Great, now ah’ have two snakes,” he thought. “Spy, what are you doin’ there?” He heard him shift in his seat before he spoke again. “Well, Medic seemed heal the others, Scout was being a little pinprick while Sniper went back to shooting. But I am still here if that satisfies you,” he said. “Ah’ reckon the Blu rascal is still in Italy.” Spy paused for a moment before he spoke. “Yes, he seems to be in zhe same town you two are in. However, I do not know where.” Engineer cursed silently as he rubbed his forehead. “Well, do you think you could give me a few tips on where he could be?” He could hear Spy sigh as he moved his chair. “Not that you would understand how spies work, but I will try my best to match your intelligence.” Engineer frowned at his insult. “If all you’re gonna do is taunt me, then get off the line.” Spy chuckled. “Oh please, I’m just having a little fun. Now, back to business. The first thing to know about spies is that they are always watching your every move. One of the things that spies make sure to do is to always stay a step ahead. Tell me, have you made yourself obvious in public?” Engineer grit his teeth. “Well, ah’ mean… yes… but only for a little while.” “Non, then you might have given your position away; however, he has not left yet, so you might have a chance.” “How do ah’ know that the sucker ain’t here?” “I guarantee you that you would not be talking right now,” he said in an annoyed voice.

“Hmm, judging by the era you are in it should not be too hard to find him in a crowd.” “What in sam-hill do you think ah’ was doing?” Engineer said in an irritated voice. “We haven’t found him anywhere in the crowd, I’ve been lookin’ for an hour just now.” “Hmm…” Spy thought for a moment. “I would be careful if I were you. Just remember that he is always watching you. Though you do not see him, your instincts can help you sense him. As for finding him, it is merely impossible.” “Damn it, then how the hell are we supposed to find him?” “You have to wait for him to find you.” Engineer paused as he processed what he said. “So, ah’ have to lure him out?” “Precisely,” said Spy. Engineer thought for a moment. “And… how the hell am ah’ gonna do that?” “That is for you and (y/n) to figure out. Speaking of (y/n), why have I not heard from her yet?” “(y/n) seems to be busy with somethin’ else, some artist stuff ah’ guess.” “I do not think that it is a time for you to be distracted.” Engineer sighed as he rolled his eyes. “Ah’ know, but she don’t want to upset the man.” Spy gave a hum at his response. “Anyway, good luck with finding that Spy. Remember, always watching you.” With that, Spy disconnected from the channel, leaving Engineer alone.

Engineer quickly stashed the watch in his pocket as he slowly looked around before stepping out of the small corner. He decided to take a stroll along the town as he devised a plan. If the Spy was watching his every move, then he must have been in the alley with him, right? However, he brushed it off. Because he was Engineer, he dealt with so many spies in matches and around the base. For goodness sake, they always zapped his machines, so he started to get use to predicting their next move and though you could not see them, that does not mean you could sense them. He was getting pretty good at sensing a Spy near his area, it was just a feeling of instinct. Engineer felt he was safe from being watched when he was talking to Spy. But, if Spy were watching him, he must have been watching from afar since the streets were crowded and being an invisible Spy would have freaked a few people out to draw attention. “Hmm, since (y/n) ain’t with me, that’ll make it easier for him to get me,” he thought as he strolled along the town with the people doing their daily tasks. “So, ah’ need to purposely let mah’ guard down in order for him to come to me.” For him, dealing with spies was a nuisance. He knew the tricks in the book, but it was a matter of new ones appearing or when to switch things up. Spy would disguise themselves or wait until you had your back turned. Engineer would usually put his back behind the wall, so it makes it harder for the Spy to kill him, but the idea of standing against the wall 24/7 was not going to help in this situation. If the Spy is supposed to come to him, then he must figure out a way to lure him.

As he continued his stroll, he spotted a small inn standing tall. He saw men and women coming in and out as a lady greeted them at the door. An idea formed in his head. All he needed to do was let his guard down. Engineer fixed his wig one last time before he strolled towards the building. The innkeeper was a nice woman with long dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She wore her hair up in a small decorative net and puffy clothing that stuck out from her brown dress. As she waved to a few people, she noticed Engineer approaching her. She gave him a large smile. “Buon pomeriggio signore (Good afternoon sir).” Engineer gave a sheepish smile as he tried his best to mimic a regular American accent. “Sorry miss, I only speak English.” The lady shook her head as she laughed. “Oh, my apologies. I said, ‘good afternoon sir’, and welcome to the inn. Are you looking for a place to stay?” “I’m looking for a place to drink for a bit, it’s been a long journey.” The lady nodded as she stepped aside. “Right this way sir,” she said as Engineer gave a small “thank you” before heading inside, the lady trailing after him. From behind, Engineer could have sworn he felt a cold chill run up his spine. He gave an internal smirk as he was led to a small room. The innkeeper opened the door to reveal a small bar with a few tables and chairs. Another woman was behind the counter as she inspected a few bottles of wine. He scanned the room as he saw no one else at the tables. “It sure seems empty today,” he commented. The lady looked around and laughed. “Oh signore, that is because most of the people have wine during the evening,” she said. “Oh, did I come at a bad time?” She shook her head and smiled. “Nonsense, you look like you have come a long way, so go ahead and drink. You must be tired.” Engineer gave a smile in return. “Thank you, I think I’ll get my drink.”

The lady smiled as she left the room, leaving Engineer to walk to the counter. The lady greeted him as he sat down. “What do you recommend?” He asked. The lady pointed to a fancy-looking wine with a green cover and fancy calligraphy. “I don’t suppose you have beer?” The lady gave him a confused look. “Beer?” She repeated as she laughed. “Sir, beer is for Germans. You have come to Italy, the home of the finest of wines and delicacies. I assume you have not tried one, yes?” Engineer rubbed the back of his head. Suddenly, the hairs on his back pricked up, making his eyes shoot straight up. He quickly focused his attention back to the lady in front. “Ah… I’ve only tasted it once, but I think I had a bad one because it was horrible.” The lady shook her head as she set up a small glass. “Do not worry, I will give you the privilege to taste one of our finest wines here.” She opened the bottle as she poured a small amount into the glass and closed it. She turned around and handed it to him, giving him a smile. “Drink up,” she said as Engineer took it. He looked at it for a moment before he took a sip. Now, Engineer never fancied wine, since he deemed it too fancy for his taste, which is why he stuck to beer like the Texan he was. However, the wine he tasted was… sweet. He could taste different types of fruits and flavors that he could not describe. “Wow,” he said as he set the glass down. “It is good, yes?” “This is really good!” Engineer exclaimed as he took another sip. Somehow, this wine caught his attention. “You Italians really know your stuff,” he said. The lady smiled with pride. She glanced at the clock that was hanging on the wall as she placed the wine away. She realized she had to do another thing as she walked around the counter and out the door, closing it on the way.

Engineer was now alone in the small room. He took his time as he sipped his wine little by little, enjoying the taste of it. He took a glance at the bottle as started to recognize the bottle. Engineer leaned closer as he realized that it was the same wine that (y/n) drank at the bar. “No wonder ah’ like it,” he said aloud as he sat back in his seat. _There._ Engineer felt his hairs shoot up again as he started to feel a presence in the room. _A small creak._ His ears picked up the sound from behind him to the right as he continued to sit in his seat. He coughed in his hand as he pretended to wipe it on his clothing. _Another step._ Engineer finally finished his wine as he felt the presence right behind him. He gripped the wine glass by the stem as he stared at the reflection. _There he is._ Engineer could make out a figure behind him from the reflection as the Spy slowly revealed himself from his invisibility cloak, his butterfly knife ready in his hand. _Finally._ Engineer watched as the Spy smirked through the reflection, unaware that the man was watching him. “Phew, this is so much better than beer,” he said in a casual voice, acting gullible. _Now._ He watched as the Spy raised his knife over his head, ready to bring it down on the man to penetrate his back.

 _Crash._ Shattered glass sounded through the air as Engineer quickly swung the wine glass around and hit Spy on the side of the face, causing the glass to shatter as it dug into his skin. The Spy let out a scream as he fell to the side from the impact as Engineer quickly shot up from his seat. “Now, what in sam-hill were you thinkin’ son?” He taunted as he quickly pulled out his spare gun and fired. The Spy quickly grabbed a nearby chair as he moved it in front of him. The bullet dug into the wood as small splints shot out. The Spy gripped the side of his face as he pushed the chair into Engineer, causing him to stumble back. Spy used the chance to get up and lunge at him as he used his knife to slash at him. Engineer blood leak from the side of his cheek from the small cut that Spy made as he quickly used his leg and kicked him. Spy fell backwards into the table. He groaned as the wood broke and sent him crashing into the wall. Just as he was about to get up, the lady before walked in and gasped when she saw the mess. Spy looked up and smirked as he quickly grabbed the lady and held the knife to her throat. He covered her mouth as she let out a scream. “Move cowboy and the woman goes,” he said as Engineer gritted his teeth. “Damn you, you back-stabbing rat,” he spat. Spy smirked as Engineer slowly got up, making Spy press the knife nearer as the lady began to sob. “Spy, don’t you dare do that.”

“Oh, you want her. Then you can have her.” He quickly removed his knife as he pushed the lady off, causing her to fall onto Engineer as he dashed out the inn. Engineer quickly got the woman off as he checked to make sure she was okay before he took off running after the Spy. The Spy laughed as he pushed past the crowds of people as Engineer followed in pursuit. He huffs as he dodges people along the crowd. Spy spots a building that was under construction as he darts towards it and runs along the boards leading up. Engineer growls as he runs faster and goes after him, feeling the board creak under his weight. Spy ran as he pushed construction workers out of the way as they fell to the ground. He hopped over to another building, causing Engineer to pick up speed before he made a leap, just barely catching the edge. Once he regained his balance, he continued pursuit as the Spy managed to jump down another building and run along the path to the market. Engineer growled as he jumped and followed him, pushing past people again. Spy managed to run into a white building as he laughed. Engineer looked up and thought it was some sort of art building before he entered.

Spy ran past many servants and sculptors, knocking over their work as they shouted at him in angry Italian. Engineer quickly hopped over the broken figures as Spy opened a set of doors and rushed in the room. As Engineer entered and ran, he recognizes a man as he sculpts a large statue of a man. He notices that it was the Statue of David in progress, but the legs still had to be made. The Spy took his chance and hit the edge of the statue, causing it to start tumbling over. Michelangelo was heard screaming and yelling “no” as the statue began to fall. Engineer groaned as he slid and grabbed the delicate statue before it hit the floor to shatter. “Sorry Michelangelo,” he said as he quickly placed the statue back in its place before pursuing again. Michelangelo shook his head as he checked the statue and yelled a “thank you” in Italian before going back to his work. Engineer saw Spy run up a set of stairs as he started to huff. “Damn there’s so many stairs,” he panted. “What is wrong cowboy, too short to catch up?” Spy taunted as Engineer chased him down the hall.

Then, Spy found an open window as he pushed past a lady and jumped out, landing on another roof. Engineer glared as he picked up speed and jump through the small hole. However, his ankle got caught as he fell on his face on the roof. “Dag nabit, damn it!” He yelled as he slowly got up. “Ah’ say screw this!” He quickly snatched his wig off as he got up and ran. Engineer quickly grabs his watch and fumbles around with it as he attempts to get it on his wrist. Once he got it on, he notices that Spy has his arm up as he starts to punch in another year. “Darn,” Engineer says as he sees Spy turn around and give him a wave as the light consumes the Frenchman. Engineer tries to grab him, but he goes through and crashes onto the roof of the building, hitting against a small brick panel. He groans as he slowly opens his eyes to see the absence of Spy. Engineer slowly gets up as he grabs his back and slowly stretches, popping some bones back in place.

Engineer cursed as he took his robes off and slammed it down. He started to trace the year that Spy traveled to. “What the hell, the 1100s Japan? You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!” He rubbed his bald head as he paced back and forth. “Shit, ah’ gotta go get (y/n),” he said as he turned around, only to realize something. He looked around and noticed that he was near the other side of town as the buildings grew smaller and wider. Engineer squinted in the distance to see a faint outline of the market and Leonardo’s home on the hill. “Son of a gun, how much have ah’ been runnin’?” Engineer thought that by the time he ran back to get (y/n), they would probably lose Spy. Engineer bit his lip as he thought for a moment. “If ah’ go get (y/n) now, ah’ll lose that son of a bitch. But if ah’ pursue, now ah’ think ah’ll have a chance. Ah’ can’t let him get a step ahead, an’ who knows what else he’ll do…” Engineer looked at the watch and back at the faint outline of the building before he sighed. He really did not want to leave (y/n) behind, but he also did not want the Spy to do anything reckless; he almost destroyed the Statue of David for crying out loud, what a nightmare that would have been for the future! Engineer looked at the house one more time before looking back at his watch.

He sighed as he placed his goggles and hardhat back on, quickly discarding the robes. He managed to roll up his regular clothes in a small bag as he quickly put his overalls back on. “Stupid rags,” he mumbled as he returned to his normal clothing, relieved to have his southern design back. Engineer glanced up and frowned as he thought of (y/n). “Would she have done the same?” He thought to himself. Engineer feared that he might not have enough to sustain them to go back home, but he also thought that if he got to Spy on time, he could bring both back for him and (y/n); then, he finally made up his mind. He lowered his head as he slowly began typing the date in. Before he pressed the button, he looked up at the direction of the house one more time. “Ah’m sorry (y/n), but ah’ promise that ah’ll come back for ya darlin’.” Engineer pressed the button as he felt the light swirl around him once again as he gave a determined look before he disappeared, leaving the wind to fill in his absence.

“And… fatto (done)!” Leonardo placed his brush down as he wiped his hands and admired the finish of the painting. (y/n) let out a huge sigh as she slowly got up and cracked her back, feeling the relief of standing again. “Finally, that was a long time!” (y/n) stretched out her legs and brushed her clothes. Leonardo smiled at his painting as he grabbed the easel. “Signorina, I should thank you for being my model for my painting. I say that you look magnifica!” He slowly turned the easel around to show (y/n), smiling as she stared with awe. The portrait felt so real as she stared at the reflection of herself. Her eyes were glossy and so… real as they stared at her. The painting showed her skin as it glowed and showed the soft blemishes and innocent in her eyes. She scanned as she took notice of her hair in the painting; it looked as if he plucked her hair and stuck it to the portrait. She saw that the clothing accompanied her collarbones and chest as the background for the portrait was the large window that stood behind her, the sunlight pouring out and giving her a soft glow in the painting, as if she were an angel. “It’s… beautiful,” she said as she continued to stare at the painting. Leonardo gave a wide smile as he fixed his hat and placed his paintbrushes away. “Well signorina, it would not be so if it had to been for you!”

(y/n) smiled at the painting as she glanced outside the window. “Leonardo,” she asked as he hummed in response. “How long has it been since my friend left?” Leonardo walked over to the window and opened it, looking down at the yard in the front. Down below, there was a sundial on the ground as the shadow pointed to one side. “Hm, I believe it has been… three hours at most.” (y/n) thought for a moment. “Three hours? Engie should be here by now!” (y/n) said as she walked over and glanced at the sun dial. Leonardo turned around and straightened out his robes. (y/n) started to worry as she noticed that Engineer had not come back for a while. Leonardo noticed her distressed. “There is something that troubles you, signorina?” (y/n) sighed as she brushed her hair out of the way. “I think I need to look for my friend, he hasn’t been back yet… I think the man we’re looking for might have…” She paused as the thought of Engineer being hurt or worse… killed by the Spy. Fear started to consume her mind as she placed a hand to her mouth and bit her lip. Maybe she should have came along instead of staying here. Leonardo sighed as he opened the door. “Come, let us look for your friend then.” (y/n) looked up as Leonardo opened the door for her. “You don’t have to; I can do it myself.” “Oh please, allow me to help you. After staying here and allowing me to paint your features, I think it is best that I help a little,” he said. (y/n) sighed as she thanked him as they headed down the stairs and out the house.

Leonardo and (y/n) headed back to the town as the people did the usual and stared as they went along, whispering to themselves as Leonardo walked past them. (y/n) started looking around, shouting. “Engie, where are you? Engie?” Leonardo walked up to a few people and gave them a description of the man as they shook her heads while some fainted at Leonardo for speaking to them. (y/n) sighed as her fear started to eat at her chest. “Maybe Spy got to him…” She started to chew her nails as she felt herself get anxious. They started to head further into the town as they noticed people surrounding an inn. (y/n) and Leonardo walked up as a lady was crying and sobbing in someone’s arm. (y/n) looked to see that something had happened to the in as some people surrounded the crying woman and a few pieces of debris were scattered on the floor. (y/n) approached as the lady started choking in Italian. “Excuse me,” (y/n) said, catching them attention. The lady sniffled as the innkeeper came out. “What happened?” The innkeeper stepped ahead. “Signorina, I must ask you to leave. It is none of your business,” she said in a stern voice. (y/n) turned to her. “I’m afraid it is, I’m looking for a friend of mine and I thought he would be here.” Before the innkeeper could speak, Leonardo appeared behind (y/n), causing her to gasp. “L-Leonardo!” The said man waved his hand as he asked what had happened in Italian. The lady starts to rapidly talk as Leonardo nods his head and gives the description of the man, in which the lady nods.

“Well, what did she say?” (y/n) asked as Leonardo turned around. “Your friend was here earlier, but there was another man who wore a strange outfit of blue who seemed to attack him at the inn and the lady.” (y/n) raised her eyebrows. “Does she know where they went?” Leonardo turned to the lady and talked to her again. He turned his attention back to (y/n). “She says that the two of them ran out into the street and went farther. (y/n) wasted no time in running down the pathway as Leonardo ran behind her, shouting for her to wait. She ran as fast as she could, ignoring the people passing her and looking around. “Engie!” She repeatedly yelled as she frantically looked around for her friend. She passed the white art building as she ran down the road. (y/n) stopped for a moment as she saw people from a construction building. Leonardo stopped next to her and placed his hands on his knees. “Signorina, you… are too fast…” He said as he panted. He looked up to see a few workers arguing to each other in Italian. Leonardo listened before he turned to her. “Your friend and the strange man have been here; they must be close. But… phew… let me catch my breath for a moment.” (y/n) sighed as she waited for the man to relax until he was ready to go. This time, (y/n) decided to walk at a faster pace than run so Leonardo could catch up. (y/n) continued to call out her friend as Leonardo searched and asked people for the strange man. They pointed a few directions, but the two were unable to find Engineer or the Spy.

(y/n) sighed as she sat down on a small ledge of a building as Leonardo sat next to her. “I don’t know where they could’ve gone,” she said in defeat. “I don’t even know if Spy got to him or not, I’ll never be able to find Engie in this huge town,” she said as she placed her head in her hands. Leonardo sighed as he placed a hand on her back. “Signorina-” “I have a name by the way,” she said in an irritated voice, causing him to recoil his hands. “Scusa (sorry), scusa.” “It’s (y/n),” she said. “Okay… (y/n)…” He tried to pronounce the name. She sighed as she thought about what happened. “It’s obvious Engineer chased him down for a while, but what happened after that? Don’t tell me Spy got to him…” she thought as she started to feel frustrated. “Oh god, don’t tell me I was too late, what if Spy did something to him, or what if Engineer got hurt-”

“Mi scusi,” a little voice said. (y/n) looked up to find a small boy in front her. He looked to be about four or five as he held his small wooden horse in his hands. (y/n) gave a small smile as Leonardo watched the boy. “Hello little boy,” Leonardo said in his language, “what brings you here?” “I heard you were looking for a bald man,” he said in a quiet voice. Leonardo perked his head up. “You know where the man is?” The boy nodded his head as he pointed to the roof. He spoke in Italian. “I saw bald man on roof when I was playing with horse,” he said, “Then, bald man go poof!” He said as he waved his hand in the air. Leonardo raised his eyebrows. “Poof, you say?” “Yes, like magic!” (y/n) listened, unable to understand the language. She looked at Leonardo as he turned to her. “The boy says that she saw your friend on a roof with the man,” he said. (y/n) nodded her head as she grasped her hands, a smile coming to your face. “Your friend seemed to be chasing a man when he went ‘poof’.” Now, this confused (y/n) for a moment. “Poof?” She said in a questioning voice. “Yes, poof. As in… he seemed to disappear like a wizard!” (y/n) held her smile for a moment as she realized what he meant. “You mean, both of them went… poof?” Leonardo talked to the boy again to confirm his suspicions. “Yes, the boy says both went poof!”

Leonardo paused as she saw her facial expression. (y/n) grit her teeth as she continued to smile, the side of her mouth started twitching as a vein began to form on top of her eyebrow. Leonardo felt himself shrink back a bit as he dismissed the boy. “Are you okay?” Without warning, (y/n) screamed, “YOU MEAN TO TELL ME HE LEFT ME HERE?!!” Leonardo yelped as he fell of the ledge and hit the ground. (y/n) felt her face turn red as she quickly got up and looked around. She could not believe it, she refused to believe it, but it happened: Engineer had left her in the Renaissance Era. (y/n) started to kick the ground, not caring who was watching or not. She started to turn around and punch the brick as her hand began to hurt from the impact. “This stupid moronic southern jerk!” She cursed repeatedly as Leonardo gasped and placed his hands up. “(y/n), it is okay. Everything will be alright, right?” (y/n) slowly turned to him and gave an angry smile. “Oh, of course everything will be okay. It’s not like my friend left me in Italy, right?!” Leonardo shrunk back as she tried to calm down. She huffed as she looked at her hands and noticed how red they were. “Darn it,” she muttered as she slowly sat on the ground. She was lost for words; Engineer had dumped her here in Italy while him and Spy went who knows where. Leonardo slowly walked behind her and crouched down.

“Great, what am I going to do?” She felt her lips start to tremble a bit, but she kept them firm. “God, apology not accepted,” she said as she felt her anger slowly melt away. “Well,” Leonardo said, “you can come with me for now until your friend returns.” “But what if he doesn’t return?” (y/n) asked as she felt frustration. “I believe your friend will return to you; he will find a way back. If he is your friend, he will come back for you, no?” (y/n) sighed as she thought about this. “Well, Engineer wouldn’t leave her here forever in the Renaissance era, right? I mean, he came to get me when I went with Spy so… he should come back, right?” Leonardo grabbed her arm and helped her up. “Come (y/n),” he said, “we will return to the house and wait for his return. In the meantime, I will fix you some food.” Him and (y/n) walked back down the path to his house. “Bastard,” she muttered as she caressed her inflamed hands. Leonardo walked next to her as they entered the house again and led her back to the second floor of the painting room. She took a seat on the sofa as she rested her elbow against the arm and sighed. “I will come back with a few things. Now, do not go anywhere,” he said as he headed back down the stairs. (y/n) was left alone in the room as she glanced out the window. It seemed to look like it was about 2 or 3 in the afternoon. “Well, if he does come back I’m giving that jerk an earful,” she said as she glanced out the window and watched nature presume its course.


	9. Big Trouble in Little Italy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As (y/n) is stuck in Italy with Leonardo, Engineer seems to get his hands caught up with the Spy. The team starts to face conflict and worry as the meter continues to go up. However, (y/n) and Engineer have another problem to face that they brought along with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I am so glad that a lot of people like this. I am sorry that it is taking a while to create these chapters, but I am working on others things as I make this story. So, the chapters might take a few days to make and post. However, I will guarantee that I will not be abandoning this story anytime. So please enjoy :)

Engineer felt himself floating down the tunnel as he chased after the Spy. He quickly checked his ammo to make sure he had enough before he placed it in his Hollister. Engineer cursed himself as he made his decision. Yes, he had left his friend and yes he might have been an ass for doing so, but if it was going to make them jump ahead of the Spy, then maybe he could return back to (y/n) with the other time machine. Though, he felt some guilt towards what he did, but if he hadn’t, wouldn’t Spy have gotten away again? This time, he was not going to quit or stop for anything, he was going to keep going until he could get the other time machine and return home safe and sound with his friend.

 _Stop._ He caught wind of the word as he hastily looked around. “Hello, is somebody out there?” Engineer frantically looked around for anyone and listened carefully to hear the voice, but he could hear nothing else. “Strange,” he thought, “ah’ could’ve sworn ah’ heard somebody.” It was then he took notice of his surroundings as he traveled down the tunnel. The tunnel he was traveling was transparent as usual, but it was what was happening outside of the tunnel he was traveling through. The once bright and blue tunnels that surrounded him were beginning to fade away as some began to crack and break apart. Engineer glanced around as fear started to consume him. “Ah’ hell, this ain’t good,” he said aloud as some of the tunnels began to break off and fall into the abyss of endless space before him. He cursed at himself; he knew that the time continuum was becoming unstable the more he used time excessively. It was no help that Spy was also using the time machine to escape, which sped up the process. Engineer grimaced at the thought of space and time collapsing because of them as he watched the tunnels rot away.

Engineer needed to make sure he had enough continuum to get (y/n) again and head back home or else they would have been stuck in time forever. Then, he spotted something up ahead… no… not something… _someone._ He squinted his eyes as tried to get a look at the figure. His eyes darkened as he gritted his teeth once he realized it was the Spy, who seemed to be traveling through the same tunnel as him. The Spy seemed unaware that he was behind the man as Engineer positioned himself and used his arms to propel himself through the tunnel. He tried not to make any sound as he felt himself moving faster as the Spy continued to laugh at his escape plan that he thought to have worked. “Finally, now that old Texan and that girl will have no chance against me,” he said as he laughed and snorted.

Engineer gave one last heave as he outstretched his arms and felt himself tackle Spy, catching him off guard. “What in zhe hell?!” Engineer landed a punch on his face as him as Spy began to try and push him off. They continued to fight as Engineer tried reaching for his gun, only to have Spy kick it out of his hand in an attempt to set himself loose as the gun floated behind him, far from his reach. “Dag nabit!” He cursed as Spy began to reach for his knife. This time, Engineer caught his motives and grabbed his arm before he could grab the sharp blade. Engineer started to wrangle Spy as they started to fall into the tunnel as the light began to surround them. Engineer shut his eyes as he tried his best to punch the man in any direction he could, hoping to knock him out somehow.

The two found themselves falling harshly to the ground as they met the feeling of wooden texture squeak underneath them. Both mercenaries groaned in pain as they landed a few feet apart from each other. Engineer clutched his side as he slowly got up as Spy did the same. The Texan turned around to lunge at Spy but was met with a thin sword slicing through the air and meeting his hat. He quickly ducked out of the way as he barely missed the blade as it brushed against its hardhat. Engineer looked next to him to see a huge man covered in red and black armor. There was a helmet that surrounded his face with a mask as he yelled something in a foreign language. Spy quickly jumped back as he avoided a swing from another one of those beings before, he glanced to the side of the room and found an open doorway. He wasted no time in taking off as he ran towards the exit.

Engineer was about to run until the samurai swung his sword at him again as he managed to roll away and kneel on the ground. The other samurai was about to bring his sword down again until Engineer grabbed his trusty wrench and used it to block the incoming weapon. Him and the samurai locked weapons as he turned to see the other one charging at him. Engineer immediately used the part of the wrench to lock onto the blade and used his might to pull his arm down, causing the sword to break in half. As he felt the blade break, he quickly jumped out of the way as the other samurai brought down his blade as Engineer took advantage and swung his ratchet at his head, causing the samurai to turn his head from impact and breaking part of his armor. Engineer wasted no time as he ran towards the other exit as he felt the remaining samurai chase after him.

Engineer turned down the hall, huffing and puffing as the samurai behind him yelled more things in a language he could not recognize. “Damn it, why am ah’ always the one getting chased?” He ran down the wooden hall as he passed people who appeared to be servants in plain kimonos as they backed away into the wall as he passed through. Engineer turned a corner and spotted the Spy as he was in battle with another samurai. As Spy attempted to block an attack, the samurai managed to hit his watch on the wrist, causing the watch to break into pieces. “Oh, merde,” the Spy cursed as he lost his invisibility watch, looking at the pieces on the floor. He used his butterfly knife as he rolled underneath the samurai and dug his knife into a small crevice in the armor, causing the samurai to scream as he fell to the ground. Engineer took his chance as he ran and lunged at Spy as they both fell to the ground and rolled again until they hit the wall. The samurai was still running towards them as Engineer tried to climb on top of Spy and reach for the watch, the fingers brushing against the metal until Spy shoved him off and sent him flying towards the samurai.

Engineer felt himself brace for impact as he crashed into the samurai, the rough feeling of armor penetrating his back as he and the samurai fell to the ground, leaving Spy time to get up and run around a corner. Engineer quickly grabbed his wrench and swung it at the samurai, whacking it on the head before he could grab his sword again. The samurai went limp as it lost consciousness, allowing Engineer to get up again and run after Spy. He found the scoundrel running towards two large red doors as Spy managed to push them open, finding himself on an open platform with a large balcony. He was greeted by the sight of a dark night sky and multiple pagodas outstretched in the distant in different sizes. There were small markets along the bottom and a few people in kimonos walking around as lanterns lit up the dark world. Spy quickly peered over the balcony, realizing that he was on a ten-story building of some sort, a pagoda. He turned around and noticed Engineer coming closer to him as the cowboy sped up. “Give me that thing!” Engineer exclaimed. Spy turned back and looked around for anything to help him escape, but there was no other exit nearby. He noticed that the lanterns were attached to the pagoda he was on and stretched down to connect with a smaller pagoda from the other side.

Right as Engineer passed the double doors, Spy climbed onto the balcony rails and jumped off. At first, Engineer felt shock, thinking that Spy was going to time travel; instead, he found the rat holding onto the rope that strung all the lanterns as he slid down using his gloved hands, laughing as he knocked the lanterns off. “Au revoir, partner.” Engineer growled as he climbed onto the balcony and wasted no time in leaping into the air and using his gloved hand to follow as he gripped the rope and traveled down. Engineer glanced down and quickly put his head up once he saw how far they were to the ground. “Nope,” he said. Suddenly, he heard the horrible sound of rope breaking as he glanced back and realized the rope was coming apart at the seams. “Uh oh,” he muttered as he glanced and was almost to the other pagoda. Spy started to feel the rope loosen as he turned around to see Engineer, but also saw the rope breaking as well. Finally, the rope snapped from the other side as Engineer tightened his grip on the rope, feeling himself falling as Spy managed to let go and grab onto the other balcony of the pagoda. He sighed in relief as Engineer grabbed on as tight as he could before he swung and crashed into the soft coating of wood from the pagoda. Spy could not help but snort at him as he swung and managed to leap over as he looked down, thinking that Engineer failed to make it.

Engineer felt the impact of the crash as small pieces of wood dug into his skin, causing him to hiss as he stumbled into a random room of the small pagoda. Dust flew up from his impact as he fell to the ground. However, he realized that instead of wood he felt something soft underneath him. He hissed at the pain as he brushed his arms off, but slowly felt the ground as he glanced down. “Cushion?” He stared dumbfounded for a moment before he heard a few high-pitched screams. Engineer realized that the screams did not belong to men, but it belonged to a few females. Once the dust cleared, he noticed that he was surrounded by many females that were dressed in exotic clothing, some of them were revealing while some held their fans to their chests and backed away from him. He looked down and realized that the soft landing came from the multiple cushions that were scattered along the floor. “Ah’, what in sam-hill is this?” The concubines shook as they watched the man glance up at them. Engineer quickly blushed as he saw a woman showing a little too much skin as he quickly covered his eyes. “Ah’ geez, ah’m sorry!” He felt some of the girls slowly come up to him as they observed him. Some of them have never seen a man like him before, since they were usually stuck in the room, following their master’s owners. Engineer felt one of them run a finger along his arm as he quickly jumped up, scaring some of them as he made a run for it, continuing to look down. “Sorry ladies,” he said as he found a small sliding door and ran towards it.

He immediately slid the doors behind him as he sighed and cleared his throat. Engineer sighs loudly as he looks around him. He notices that the pagoda has small hole in the middle of the floor, allowing him to see the top and bottom floors of the structure. He wastes no time in peering above him as listens carefully for the sound of Spy. Engineer quickly spots a few stairs as he races towards them and moves up the building, passing the floors as he tries to remember what floor Spy was on. He knows that Spy landed a few floors above him, but he wonders if Spy was moving up or down the pagoda as he climbed up the stairs. Engineer pants as he continues to trudge up the stairs. “How in the world are there so many stairs?” A scream stops him from moving further as he stops on a floor and walks around. He notices that a woman was running down the hall as she paid no attention and shoved him away as she ran down the stairs. “That must be where that Spy is,” Engineer thought as he turned the corner. “At least (y/n) is having a better time than ah’ am,” he thought to himself.

…

“God, I feel miserable,” she thought as she stared out the window and watched the sun start to set. The holy light was going down to sleep in its humble home as the stars started to peek from behind the curtain of the sky. The stars twinkled around as they blinked their eyes and decorated the night with their presence. (y/n) sighed as she rested her head upon her hand as she thought about the past events and worry about Engineer. She would have never doubted her friend; if someone told Engineer that they would give him a million dollars to shoot her in the head, he would take the money and burn it all. And yet, she seemed to express doubt in her mind as she thought about the trick he pulled off. “He’ll be back, I’m sure he will. He’d never leave me here. Engineer is going to come back with the other one and then we can both return home, right?” She thought as she played with her nails. Though, (y/n) felt a bad feeling coming from her chest as she glanced down and felt her conscious saying something else. _“What if he never comes back for you? What if he left you because you were falling behind? What if he got tired of you because you didn’t help him? What if he left you because you were slowing him down?”_ (y/n) shook her head from these thoughts, telling herself that it was not true. “No, he’d never do that. I know Engie would never leave me here… right?” _“And what happens if he does, does that mean I’m right?”_ “No! I know Engie, he would never do that. I know him… I should…”

“(y/n), I have come with tea!” The voice of Leonardo interrupted her thoughts as he appeared at the doorway with two cups of warm tea and a plate of snacks. He gave a smile as he walked over and placed them down on the table as he took a seat next to her. (y/n) gave a small ‘thanks’ before picking up the tea and smelling it. “Is this black tea?” Leonardo nodded as he grabbed his own cup. “Ah, this tea has traveled a long way to Italy. I ordered a merchant to travel to China and back for this,” he said as he took a small sip. (y/n) nodded as she slowly took a sip of her tea. She closed her eyes as the warmth went down her throat and soothed her mind, making her forget the doubts and the thoughts that dwelled within her. She felt at ease as she took another sip, feeling the bitter and sweet taste of the tea. (y/n) sighed as she grasped the cup, feeling the heat warm her hands. “This is amazing,” she said as Leonardo nodded in approval. “Indeed (y/n), it is one of my favorite teas. I only buy the best!” Then, Leonardo set his tea down and offered the plate of food. The ivory plate was filled with soft round grapes of blue and green, with a few sliced meats that were laid delicately upon the plate. “Do not be shy, take one!” He said in a cheery voice. (y/n) looked up at him for a moment. He seemed to urge her to have one as she slowly grabbed a piece and plopped one into her mouth. She sighed as she realized that her stomach growled softly. “Wow, it has been a while since I ate something,” she thought as she felt the need to take another piece from the plate. Leonardo set the plate down as he leaned against the sofa, the tea in his hands.

“So,” he said as (y/n) leaned back and sipped her drink. “I forgot to ask you: what brings you here to Italy, hm?” (y/n) stopped sipping as she thought. “Shit, I was not ready for this.” “Well,” she said, “my friend and I were traveling to see a few sights. We’ve heard there was a lot of artwork to see here and all.” Leonardo nodded as he stared at her. (y/n) gave a smile as she tried to think of another thing. “Yeah, and I guess we just got involved in other things you know, with the man and all and you having to save us from the market, which… thank you, by the way.” Leonardo waved his hand. “It was nothing signorina,” he said as he sipped his drink. (y/n) nodded as she stayed silent, fiddling with the cup in her hand. “Yeah…” “Hm, your language seems to be… different,” he said. (y/n) froze. “W-What do you mean?” “Hm… I have never seen a person speak in a… broken form.” “You mean to tell me that I’m speaking differently?” “Yes, you did. You seem to take uh… shortcuts.” (y/n) raised her eyebrow at this. “You mean when I saw ‘I’m’ or ‘couldn’t’?” Leonardo nodded his head. “Indeed, I have never seen someone speak like that before.” (y/n) scratched her head as she tapped on the cup. “Well, where we come from English is… different. You know, we shorten things together and sometimes people play with the language a little bit… hehe.”

(y/n) noticed that Leonardo had an amused look on his face. She glanced down and noticed that he seemed to cross his arms. “Shoot, he’s not buying it,” she thought as he seemed to look away for a moment. “I understand,” he said slowly, “I have met a few people that have a way in speaking English. I suppose I have not met your kind yet.” (y/n) sighed in her head as she brought the cup to her lips and took another sip. “That is because you are from another timeline, is that correct?” It took (y/n) all her willpower not to spit out her drink as she held the warm liquid in her mouth, teacup hiding her shocked face. Her mind went blank as Leonardo stared with a small smirk played across his lips. “… Well shit…” she thought as she could not believe what she just heard. (y/n) quickly placed her cup down and slowly swallowed the liquid down her throat, though she wanted to spit it out. At this point, she felt that she should run away before things get too out of hand. However, she was in disbelief; how could he have known about timelines or time travelers? This made (y/n) nervous as she stayed silent for a while as he continued to stare at her.

“W-What do you mean, Leonardo? I don’t know what you’re talking about unless you mean my generation timeline.” Leonardo sighed as he placed his cup down. “I think you know what I mean signorina.” (y/n) gulped as the grip on her cup tightened. Leonardo continued. “From the moment I saw you and your friend in the market, I knew right away that you were not from here. One glance from the other side showed me that you and your friend were time travelers from another place.” (y/n) could not express how she felt at the moment. She was stuck as she listened to him, panicking and wondering about the whole thing. (y/n) was confused as to how Leonardo knew about time traveling and how he had knowledge of it. Her mount unconsciously opened as she tried to talk, but all that came out was a soft croak. Apparently, this made Leonardo laugh as he gave off a smile. “Ah (y/n), you and your friend are not the first time travelers that have come to visit this era,” he said in a casual tone. Now, (y/n) felt like she wanted to faint, as it was not going to happen soon. “What the…” she mumbled, “there’s more of us?” “Of course, there have been a few that stopped by earlier, but they seem to have left a few minutes before you two arrived. They come from many different eras of time, but they mostly come from the future.” (y/n) felt her grip tighten so much that she did not realize that the cup was starting to crack until the sound of glass shattering was heard. She glanced down to see the cup in millions of pieces on her lap. “Oh… god…” she said as she continued to look down.

Leonardo sighed as he gathered the pieces from her lap and placed them on the plate. “I am sorry for the information. I hope it was not too much for your taste.” (y/n) slowly nodded her head as her thoughts swirled around her. She did not think that there would be other time travelers wandering around nor did she think that this man, who lives in the Renaissance era, would know that time traveling exists. Hell, (y/n) could see how her and Engie stuck out, but not so much as look like time travelers. Now, she had to look out for other time travelers. If that were the case, would that speed up the process of the time continuum? No, the time continuum would only shift if they were to teleport, but Spy was also using the time machine as well. Still, maybe the other time travelers that existed were affecting the meter. (y/n) felt her head hurt the more she thought about this again. She shook her head as she closed her eyes for a moment. “No (y/n), we are not throwing up again from this mess. Calm down, we need to figure this out. I need to know about this, and hell, Engie needs to know about this too,” she thought.

(y/n) looked back at Leonardo as he continued to clean the mess she made. She cleared her throat to grab his attention. “So,” she said slowly, “there are other time travelers that have passed through here?” Leonardo nodded his head. “Of course, they visit me all the time! They seem to love coming to this era. As a matter of fact, sometimes I let them stay in my house for a night or two because I absolutely favor their company.” (y/n) slowly nodded. “And these time travelers… do they come from different eras?” Leonardo thought for a moment before he spoke. “I would have assumed you came from the same era, right? They usually come from the ‘future’ of flying contraptions.” “You mean, flying cars?” “Yes, flying cars. The… uh… what is that word again…” he snapped his fingers to try to remember. Then, his head shot up. “Ah yes, the ‘futuristic’ look. They are from the far future of time, which I assume you are from.” (y/n) looked at him for a moment before she slowly shook her head. Leonardo gave her a confused look. “You are not from the future?” (y/n) scratched her neck. “Technically, I am. But, not from the future that you are familiar with. No, I’m from the 1960s future.” Leonardo gave her a blank stare for a while, causing (y/n) to wonder if he was alright. “1960s, you say?” He showed a look of surprise. “Yes…” “But the time machines were not invented in your time. How is that possible?” (y/n) gave him a questioning look. “What do you mean? Engineer built two of them in our timeline, why?” Leonardo played with his beard. “Well, the time travelers that come here are from the year 2040 and a few people have time machines, but I have never had a time traveler come from 1960!” (y/n) thought for a moment before she asked. “So, how did you find out about us?” Leonardo smiled as he waved his hands. “Ah well you see; I was working on one of my paintings when suddenly a large light appeared behind me. I was so scared I hid behind my easel as the light grew until it vanished. A person appeared in the middle of it as I hid from sight. I was shocked at how they looked; they wore the strangest of clothes with colors I would have never imagined and an atrocious hairstyle. From what I could tell, it was a girl who seemed to be looking for me. I thought it was the devil coming to get my soul, but she started to explain herself as she told me that she accidentally punched in the wrong coordinates to her real destination. At first, I could not believe it. I thought it was some trick, an illusion or magic. I thought it was perhaps the devil coming for me, but she showed me the time machine that she had and how it worked. She told me my full life story and things that I never showed anyone else. I was shocked, so shocked that I fainted. But when I awoke the girl was still there and one thing led to another and now, I am the only one here in this town that knows about time traveling.”

Once he was done, (y/n) gave him a look of awe as she processed the story. Leonardo stood there with another smile as he fixed his robes. “You know a lot about time travel, don’t you?” She asked. Leonardo shook his head. “I am only aware of the rules that you must follow when time traveling.” (y/n) glanced at him. “Wait, there are rules?” Leonardo stopped and gave her a look of disbelief. “What, you are not aware of the rules that come with the time machine?” (y/n) slowly shook her head. “What rules, we just made the time machine. We didn’t know there were rules to follow.” Leonardo gasped as he clutched his face, causing (y/n) to cower a bit. “Mamma mia, of course there are rules!” He paced around the room as he continued to claw at his face. “You mean to tell me that you have broken the rules?!” “I don’t know the rules, how the hell am I supposed to know which ones I broke so far?” “oh Dio!” He continued until he faced (y/n) again. “You may have broken very important rules, strict rules!” “Okay, but-” “You have no idea what you may have caused if you have done so already!” “Can you-” “Good lord, girl!” “Leo-” “You may have doomed us all!”

Without a second thought, (y/n) slapped his across the face, causing his head to twirl. “Can you just tell me the rules?!” She yelled as he slowly cleared his thoughts. “Wow, for a woman you sure slap like a man.” (y/n) rolled her eyes as he rubbed his face. “Leonardo, all I came here to do was to stop a time thief and instead got dragged into this thing. We just built the time machine, and this is the first time we have ever used it. We have no idea what else to do and right now I am stuck here until Engineer comes back, which I don’t know how long that’s going to take. But I need you to tell me the rules now before any other damage is done.” Leonardo sighed as he felt the spot turn red. “Alright, alright,” he said. “Well, the first rule is to never interfere with important events that occur in the timeline. By now, I should assume that you have not tampered with anyone or anything important?” (y/n) shook her head. “Not that I know of.” “Good. The second rule that you should know is to never show yourself. You should always blend in with the time era and act like you are part of it. It seems you two have almost done it had it not been for your friend there.” (y/n) sighed as she remembered the events in the market. “The third rule is to never come across yourself when time traveling.” “As in… your past-self?” “Precisely!” (y/n) nodded. “Yeah, I already got that one from Engie,” she thought. “Now, the fourth one is the most important one of all: never abuse time traveling.” “How do you abuse time traveling?” “From what I can remember, one must never abuse the usage of time traveling. Excessive time traveling can lead to a disruption in multiple timelines and universes, which can cause an overwhelming surge that could… rip through time? But I don’t see why…”

Leonardo went off again, but (y/n) could not hear him. She zoned out into her thoughts again as she analyzed the situation. (y/n) remembers a time when her mother was still alive. She remembered how her mother held her and nurtured her. Her father never bothered teaching her the things a father needed to teach, so her mother filled in that role. Her mother was the one who taught her to ride a bike, to pull the trigger, to cook, to be independent. Her mother used to tuck her into bed and stay there with her until she fell asleep. She remembered when her mother taught her how to fight and fend for yourself and to never depend on others. In a time of war, her mother told her how to be strong during times where hop seemed far away, where darkness swallowed the light, and where chaos consumed the innocent. She remembered how her mother made her face her fear, though she did not favor it, her mother taught her to overcome the impossible. She remembers the words that her mother told her when she was afraid: _to overcome your fear, you must take a big step forward. Only then, will your fear have a change of heart and turn into strength. Only then, will your fear turn into bravery. Only then, will you become inevitable towards anything else._ That seemed to be the only thing (y/n) could recall in her mother’s words; everything else was blurry after that. But, in a time like this the words that came out was a mumbling mess of words and sounds. She felt the courage that she had crumble into dust, she felt the walls that she built for herself against the world start to wobble, she felt the hope in her arms begin to cry and wail to escape. (y/n) has never felt more terrified in her life until now. At first, it seemed like nothing; but now, it felt like a fear that she could not stop. She realized that it was a fear, a thing that she could not oppose, that she could not control or handle. It was out of her reach; it was out of anyone’s reach. Worst of all, she was not ready for this to happen. (y/n) was not ready to face the outcome if it were to happen, she was not ready to face the worst that had yet to happen, she was not ready to go back home if it was going to disrupt everything, she was not ready… to die.

“Dying,” she thought. Indeed, death was a soul that picked up the lost ones who died to carry them away to their destinations. Death, indeed, was the player and the leader of life. Death was something she saw wherever she went. She knew death was inevitable and was taken in many forms. She witnessed death approach her once, but he walked away as she grasped the light again and pulled herself out of his arms. She saw death speak to the souls and whisk them away into wherever they were going. She knew that death was going to come to her someday, but she was not prepared for it. She needed time, she knew she needed more time before she could accept this; but now it felt like time was denied and it was time to face that fear. If they were to fail this mission, then she would have to face death sooner or later. She knew that she could not avoid death this time, and soon she was going to have to accept his arms and hold his hand as he guided her to the afterlife. If Engineer and Spy continued to abuse the time machine, then her and everyone’s death around the world would be inescapable. (y/n) was aware of death; she was aware of it coming to visit her at times during battle. One time, she thought she saw death when she was killed by a Scout, but it was a fleeting touch that grasped her before she was sent to respawn again and gasp for life. Yet, the touch of death only grazed her form, but she could still remember the feeling. It felt weightless, it felt like nothing at first, but then you start to feel something; but she could never make it out what she felt. Was it desire, was it happiness, was it acceptance, was it fear? She could not describe what she felt at the moment, but even then, she knew that she would not have been ready if something were to happen. (y/n) knew she was not supposed to see it coming, but somehow, she did. Of course, it could have been her imagination, but it felt so… real. At times, she always wondered what happened to people when they died. She wondered if there was another side that they would travel to, or if there was nothing left but a vast area of darkness and you were the only soul left there. One thought was that death was your partner forever as he carried you with him, to help him, to admire him. The possibilities were endless, but either way she was not ready at all. At that moment, (y/n) had never felt so helpless before. She could not stop these events from happening and she could not tell Engineer about the rules. As for the Spy, well, did he really give a damn? Probably not, so (y/n) would rather have him dead more than anything. But she felt hopeless because she was stuck here for good until Engineer got back; but would it be too late?

“(y/n), are you still listening?” Leonardo waved a hand over her face until she snapped out of it. “My god, have you not been listening to me this whole time?!” Leonardo exclaimed as he felt annoyed. Just then, (y/n) stumbled backwards as she crashed onto the sofa, pushing it out of its place as she grasped her head, looking up at the ceiling. Leonardo quickly changed from annoyance to worry as he rushed over to her, wrapping his hands around her own. “Signorina, are you alright?” (y/n) said nothing as she began to feel rapid breathing coursing through her lungs as sweat began to develop on her forehead. “Mio dio! (y/n), what is wrong with you?” Leonardo panicked as she said nothing for a while. She kept looking up at the ceiling as she clutched her head, ignoring his questioning and worry. She felt the dread consume her again as her mind felt like it wanted to explode. Leonardo was about to rush her medical help when she suddenly grabbed his hand, causing him to look back. “No… I’m… fine,” she said as she slowly sat up. “I’m just… shocked that’s all…” Leonardo sighed as he quickly sat down next to her. (y/n) slowly sighed as she rubbed her head. “Are you sure you do not feel anything else?” “Yes, I am fine at the moment.” (y/n) turned to Leonardo, but felt her mouth become dry as she started to notice the sweat on her forehead. “I just need some water for now, that’s all.” “Of course, signorina!” He wasted no time in getting up and rushing downstairs, calling for the servants to bring a glass and a few rags. (y/n) sat there for a while as she leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. “God Engineer,” she said quietly, “I wish you would’ve never built that time machine. I wish we were never here in the first place.”

…

The night sky peered between the clouds as the scarce crickets began to make their music while the crescent moon hung in the sky and danced with the stars again. A yawn was heard as Scout rubbed his face and walked down the hallway. Sniper appeared next to him as they made their way to the workshop again. “Man, do we have to keep watch all the time?” Scout asked as he patted his face to keep him up. “Come on, it’s not that bad,” said Sniper. “Oh, come on! We don’t seriously have to keep watch all the damn time. It’s already nighttime and nothin’ happened. They should be fine by themselves.” Sniper sighed as he turned towards the chatterbox. “Listen mate, if you really cared about them then ya wouldn’t be complaining about how hard it is to keep watch over a meter. It’s loike the easiest job in the world you bloke. So, suck it up.” Scout groaned. “Look ‘ere pal, I’m pretty sure they can handle this by themselves. We’re talkin’ about (y/n) for cryin’ out loud, and she ain’t afraid of nothin’. Besides, it can’t be that hard to catch a two-faced rat job.” Sniper sighs as he listens to the Scout. “Do I have to be ‘ere? Why can’t I just head back to sleep and just wait ‘til tomorrow?” “If ya don’t care about them just say it, will ya?” Sniper stopped and turned to Scout. “Oi am sick and tired of hearin’ you whine all the damn time. I’m still awake and here because oi am worried, okay?! (y/n) and Engineer have a chance to never come back if that meter keeps goin’ up and you’re whinin’ all the time and actin’ like a fool.” Scout pushed him. “Am not, you freakin’ knucklehead. (y/n) and Engie haven’t been back and it’s already nightfall scrub nut. For all we know, they could be stuck already.” “You probably don’t even care about them,” Sniper said. Scout growled as he curled his fist. “Shut up you bum, you don’t know dat.” “Oi do, ‘cause oi can see it from your attitude. You probably wouldn’t even care if they got stuck, let alone if Spy did something to (y/n).” “Shut up,” Scout said in a loud voice.

Still, Sniper continued. “Oi bet you wouldn’t care if (y/n) and Engie were stuck in time forever for all we know. You’d probably go on loike it was nothin’.” “Dat is not true!” Scout yelled as he leaned towards Sniper. “You wanna go knucklehead?” Sniper stood above him as he towered over him. “Oi bet,” he said, “you wouldn’t care if that rat of a Spy got to (y/n) and just killed her.” Sniper felt something come to his face as he felt pain shoot up his nose as he fell backwards and hit the wall behind him. “I said shut up!” Scout yelled, his chest heaving up and down. Sniper felt a warm liquid running down his nose as he took his hand and wiped it. He looked down and realized it was blood. Sniper groaned as he slowly got up, clutching the wall to help him. “If I went to get her instead of the worker bee, I would’ve had her here in three minutes tops! She wouldn’t be stuck in dat stupid time thing, whatever you call it, and I would’ve saved the day. Boom. Done! But no, you had to let the damn Texan go!” Sniper wiped his nose again. “No, you would have used it to mess around for your own good. Then, (y/n) would’ve really died or get stuck while you act like a child.” Scout raised his fist again and swung, but Sniper ducked and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the ground. “Come ‘ere so I can give ya a knuckle sandwich!” Sniper sat on top of Scout as he grabbed his arms while Scout struggled. “Grr, get off me!” “Admit it, mate,” Sniper said as he attempted to keep Scout down. “You would’ve messed it all up in the first minute if ya had the chance.” “Not true!” “Even now you’re always complainin’ and whinin’ about them, so why bother coming to help us anyway?” “’Cause I care you dickbag! Damn it, now get off me!” Sniper glared at him for a moment until Scout stopped thrashing. He slowly got off the boy as he pushed him off and slowly got up. “Stupid moron,” he mumbled as he brushed his clothing off. Sniper crossed his arms as Scout sighed. “You really don’t think I care? Of course, I care, but I’ve been waitin’ for too long. Engineer shouldv’e brought her back by now. It’s already getting’ late and they’re still not ‘ere. What if Engie lost her or somethin’ along the way, what if somethin’ happened to them already?” Sniper sighed as he held his nose, feeling the blood dripping down his face. “Oi don’t even want to think about wot happened to them if they got hurt or somethin’.”

Footsteps were heard down the hall as the two turned to the source. Medic walked down the hall; his hands clasped behind his back as his eyes faced the ground. “Oh, what’s wrong with you, doitchbag?” Scout said. Once Medic stopped in front of them, he lifted his head and looked up at them. He noticed Sniper’s bleeding nose. “Vhat happened to you?” He asked as he dug into his lab coat and plucked out a tissue, handing it to Sniper. Sniper grabbed it and placed it over his nose. “Nothin’ mate,” he said, brushing off the event that happened. “We were going to check up on (y/n) and Engineer to see how they’re holding up,” Sniper said. Medic raised his eyebrow. “I vas hoping zhat they vould be here by now.” Scout threw his hands up. “Dat’s what I just said!” “Yeah well, they might be busy with something else. You never know wot that Blu bloke is up to,” he said, referencing to the Blu Spy. Medic glanced down for a moment as he rubbed his chin. “Have you heard anyzhing from zhe two?” Sniper shook his head. “Nah, we left them with Spy,” said Scout as he took out a piece of gum and plopped it into his mouth. “Vell zhen, let us make our vay to zhe room, shall we?” Medic said as the three begin to walk down the hall.

Spy sighed as he waited for the rest of the team to show up. He had been keeping watch for a few hours by now and has not heard from Engineer since then. Spy was busy lighting up his third cigarette for the day as he took another drag of the stick. He tapped his foot on the ground as he waited for another response from (y/n) or Engineer; however, he had not heard from them for a while. He started to believe that the Blu Spy managed to get Engineer and possibly (y/n), but he keeps denying the outcome. If Blu Spy had managed to leave them injured, then it would be harder getting him. However, he wondered if Blu Spy had gotten to Engineer and stolen the other time machine. The thought made him grim as he continued to smoke. He was hoping that any worse outcome would be in doubt for now. He was mostly concern with what Spy would do to (y/n) if he… killed Engineer. The grip on his cigarette tightened. He usually did not care about the team’s problems, but in a way, he felt like he did. After all, he tried to help Scout get a date with Ms. Pauling, but he always reassured himself that it was only because they were all “dying”. Spy thought that if he refused to care about people, then he would not get too attached to them and not have to worry about anything. All he did was smoke, eat, enjoy his own time, and do his job. Yet, sometimes he found the company of others to be reasonable. For instance, (y/n) became the least person he hated on the team, though it took a while to get used to her presence. He found her to be a reasonable person and quite a fighter who seemed to respect his space and time. Sometimes he would invite her to his smoke room and even offered her one of his cigarettes, but she always refused. He would say that he was only on watch because he was curious as to what was going to happen, but he was also quite concerned with what would happen to his team members, though he would never admit it. Spy kept to himself because he felt that it made him weak if he expressed how he felt. He would be lying if he said he could have cared less what happened to the two, but he still found himself sitting in the chair and glancing at the screen and the meter. He sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment. He twirled with the cigarette as he listened to the quiet room. Spy could see that he cared about his team members, considering he was still here and waiting for any response. It did make him eerie that he had not heard from either of them for a while, but he continued to think that they were busy with something or dealing with Blu Spy. But then again, he knew his own kind and how they could get around. If he were correct, the Spy must also have his equipment still on him. The image of the Spy getting to (y/n) made him frown. He would at least hope that (y/n) was able to get around the Blu Spy, but sometimes he was concerned. He already started to feel a sense of dread forming the more he thought about the different outcomes.

His eyes open to the sound of clicking surrounding the room as he looks up at the screen. His eyes land on the meter as the hand begins to move up again. Spy watches as the green was no longer important as the meter hit the start of the yellow line. “Oh, merde,” Spy mutters as he takes another smoke. At this point, he was considering calling Engineer himself to warn him about the meter. Just by looking at it, he can already assume that the three of them had to time travel to another era. Spy glanced at the screen and looked at the location. “It seems they are dwelling in Japan,” he said as he sat up and leaned against the panel. At least he knew that they were still alive and on the move. He decided that if the two were not going to call him, he might as well check on their progress. Spy clicked the button again and held it down as he leaned towards the mic. “This is Spy, what is the progress on the chase?” Nothing could be heard for a while until the sound of panting reached his ears. He recognized it as a deeper panting and assumed it was the Texan, though he seemed to be out of breath. “Engineer, is that you?” “Hold on,” he said. The sound of crashing and running could be heard as Engineer groaned. “Sorry, ah’m a bit busy at the moment,” he said over the speaker. Spy listened carefully as he heard a few screams and the sound of objects falling to the floor. “What the hell is going on over there?” Spy asked. “Well, ah got a few people on my tail. That Spy’s causin’ trouble around, but it’s hard to keep up with him.” Spy sighed as he pinched his nose. “How hard could it be to catch a lousy Spy?” “Ah’ would like for you to try it someday if you weren’t hidin’ in the shadows all the time.” Spy rolled his eyes. “Where is (y/n), is she not helping you?” Engineer said nothing as the sound of voices were heard over the intercom. “Engineer, are you still there?” “Yes, ah’m hidin’ at the moment,” he said in a whisper. Spy repeated himself. “Engineer, where is (y/n)?”

For a moment, there was nothing until Engineer spoke. “W-Well, she is busy at the moment.” Spy raised an eyebrow. He knew something was up. “What do you mean (y/n) is busy, is she not with you?” “N-No, she is…” Spy grimaced as he confirmed something was up. “Engineer, I am not a man to lie to. I know when a man is lying to me, even though I do not see you as we speak. I know you are hiding something laborer, and if you do not tell me what is going on with (y/n), then so help me.” He could hear Engineer sigh through the speaker. “Well, ah’ can tell ya ah’m not lyin’ when ah’ saw she’s busy.” Spy gripped the mic as he leaned closer. “Tell me, is (y/n) with you at the moment?” Silence crept over the intercom. Spy did not need an answer to confirm to his suspicions. “Engineer, where is (y/n)?” “Spy, ah’ hope you understand me-” “Where is (y/n)?” Spy asked with a lower voice. “Okay,” Engineer said in a defeated voice. Spy felt him hesitate a bit before he spoke. “Do ya promise not to get mad?” “You did something to her, did you not?” At this point, Spy was becoming irritated and angry as Engineer continued to stall. “Spy listen to me. You have to promise me not to get mad.” “Engineer, you are hiding something from me, and I will not tolerate it. If something happened to (y/n), I need to know now!” He slammed his fist against the panel. He heard Engineer sigh as he slowly spoke. “For starters, nothin’ bad happened to her. (y/n) is perfectly fine and healthy, but…” “But what…” Spy growled as he stared at the screen. “Well… she’s just not here.” Spy begin to process his words. “And what exactly do you mean she is not here?” “Well, (y/n) is… not exactly with me right now.” “Engineer…” Spy growled into the mic. Engineer said nothing until Spy slammed the panel again. “Engineer, if you do not tell me where she is, I will make sure to kill you first before that damn rat does!” He waited for Engineer to tell him. Then, he braced for the worst as Engineer spoke again. “(y/n)…” he said in a slow and soft voice, “is in another era.”

Engineer went silent, waiting for a response from the Frenchman. However, he started to worry as he heard nothing from the other side. Spy felt frozen as he stared at the screen, processing his words. Right about now, he felt the anger start to rise in his chest as he clutched the panel until his knuckles turned white underneath his gloved hands. The cigarette that he held between his fingers crumpled together until some of it fell on the floor. The thought of (y/n) being left in an era and wondering about, thinking that she was being abandoned made his guts churn and his head spin. Spy could not express how much he was feeling right now, thinking at how (y/n) was left stranded by herself with no way of getting home and now way out as Engineer handled the chase. His blood started to boil as he gritted his teeth. “You mean to tell me…” he said in a low voice, “that (y/n) is left in the Renaissance era while you are in Japan with the Spy?” Engineer felt that it was more of a statement than a question as he sat in silence, hesitating to answer. “Now, ah’ know it seems wrong but-” “YOU IMBECILE ABOMINATION, YOU LEFT (Y/N) ALL BY HERSELF WITH NO WAY OUT TO FEND FOR HERSELF WHILE YOU ENJOY YOURSELF IN JAPAN?!” Engineer felt himself recoil from the speaker. “No, you got it all wrong! Ah’ was busy chasin’ down the Spy, so ah’ felt that she could handle herself while ah’ go catch him!” “And yet you seemed to have no problem leaving her there to rot?” Engineer groaned as he pinched his nose. “No, let me explain. If ah’ were to go back, then we would have lost the Spy. Don’t worry, ah’ll come back and get her once ah’ caught the bastard.” “Congratulations partner, you failed us. I do not wish to hear your merde anymore, you clearly failed to keep her safe.” With that, Spy slammed the button again and ended the communication, plopping himself back into his chair.

On cue, Sniper, Scout, and the Medic rushed in and entered the room. “What the bloody hell is goin’ on?” “Yeah, we heard ya screaming at the top of your lungs from down the hall,” Scout said as they looked at Spy, who was breathing heavily in the chair with his fists curled. “Vhat has happened?” Medic asked. “Oh please, if I told you all hell would break lose,” Spy said as he turned away. Sniper walked up and glanced at the meter. “What the bloody- did the meter go up again?” “No bushman, it went down a notch,” Spy said in a bitter voice. “Woah mate, I’m just asking. Now, what happened?” Spy sighed as he turned and glared at them. “As you all will love to know, the Engineer abandoned (y/n) in Italy while he takes a vacation in Japan with the Spy.” “What the crap? That bald headed jerk ditched (y/n)?” Sniper said nothing as he lowered his head and curled his fists. “Oi knew it,” he said as he looked back up. “Oi can’t believe he would do that.” “Vhy on earth vould he do zhat?!” Medic exclaimed as he stood in shock. Spy sighed as he turned around. Meanwhile, Scout went on a rant. “I knew we shouldn’t have sent him, but no, no one believed me. I knew it from the start, I knew it was a good idea to send here over there instead.” “You would just shut the hell up?!” Sniper shouted as he gritted his teeth. “Oi know, okay? Oi know! But we can’t do anything about it mate. Roight now, (y/n) is stuck by herself in a town that she doesn’t know. When that man gets back, oi am going to pummel him the ground!” “I am right behind you on that,” Spy said from the chair. “Let me talk to zhat schweinehund! Now!” Medic glare down as he curled his fists. “I cannot vait until he gets back,” he said. Sniper walked up to the intercom and pressed down on the button. “Listen up here you bloke!” He shouted. “You turn around roight now and go get (y/n) or else so help me we’ll kill ya!” He waited for the sound of Engineer’s voice, but nothing was heard. “Engie! You god damn wanker, oi know you can hear me!” Spy looked up and sighed. “Non, he cannot. It seems he has disconnected us from the line.” He jerked his head to the large ‘x’ that appeared on a portion of the screen that was titled “communication”. Sniper slammed his fist on the table. “That bloody moron can go to hell!” He stormed out of the room and pushed Scout out of the way. “Hey, what the hell did I do?!”

Once Sniper was gone, Medic and Scout turned their attention back. “So, how the hell are we gonna get ‘em back?” “I do not zhink zhere is anozher way in retrieving the frau,” Medic said as he rubbed his chin. “If I can recall, Engineer only built two machines. But, if he can get zhe other one from Spy, zhen he can get (y/n) and they can come home.” Spy sighed as he spun around in the chair. “Yes, but right now it seems that Engineer is not even close to catching that Spy. He seems to be in trouble at the moment chasing him down in Japan.” “Woah, they’re in Japan?!” Scout exclaimed. “How idiotic can you be?” Spy snapped as he glanced at the screen. “Right now,” he continued, “we have no communications with (y/n) or Engineer. For all we know, she could be in danger without any of us knowing. Engineer might as well be dead if that Spy stays ahead of him.” Medic rubbed his head as he paced the room. “Vell, zhere must be a way to access zhe machines from here.” He walked up to the panel and begin to type until Spy grabbed his arm to stop him. “Do you even know what you are doing?” He asked. “They are already in a mess, what if we mess something up here? We cannot risk tampering with anything else.” Medic rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away. “Oh relax, I know exactly vhat I am doing.” Medic began to press a few buttons as the location on the screen went away and was replaced with a chart. The chart showed two wavelengths as they began to travel in an unsteady rhythm. “What is that?” Spy asked. Medic observed the chart as it flowed with jagged edges. A yellow warning flooded the screen. _“Warning: unstable flow.”_ “Hm, I believe it has somezhing to do with zhat meter. In my opinion, it seems zhat the wavelengths correspond with zhe progress of zhe meter. If zhat meter goes any farther, zhen I believe zhere will be an outcome zhat we do not wish to know.” Scout stood there dumbfounded. “I don’t get it.” Spy sighed. “He means that they might never come back.” “Correct,” Medic said as he watched the waves. “So, what’s gonna happen if they don’t have enough of this… stuff?” Scout indicated the meter with a wave of his hand. “Vell, zhey would not make it back in time, as vell as some… ozher consequences.” Spy raised an eyebrow. “And what other consequences are there?” “Let’s see,” Medic said as he thought. “Vell, due to zhe amount of time traveling zhey are doing, zhere might be a change between timelines connecting togezher, causing a massive tear in time itself.” Scout stared at him. “Uh… dat doesn’t sound so good.” “That is because we will all be doomed if it happens,” Spy said as he opened his panel and took another cigarette, feeling the stress bubble up in his chest. “So,” he said as he pulled out his lighter, “what do we do now?” Medic sighed as he paced around the room. “Vell, all ve can really do is vait for zhem to come back or until Engineer decides to come back on and talk to us.” “What, now we gotta wait more?” Scout complained as he leaned against the wall and blew a bubble. “I’m afraid so,” Medic replied as he leaned against the panel. The room was filled with an eerie silence until Scout loudly chewed his gum.

…

“I hope you are feeling better from what happened,” Leonardo said as he placed a cold soaked rag on her forehead. (y/n) gave a sigh as she gave a small smile. “I’m a little better now, thank you so much.” Leonardo reached over and grabbed the glass of water as he handed it to her. She gladly took it and drank the water as she sighed in relief. “I’m sorry,” she said as she handed back the water. “It was a lot to take in at the time.” Leonardo shook his head as he placed the glass down. “I understand that you must have come a long way here into the past, si?” (y/n) nodded her head. “Well, we were chasing after some time thief. He managed to take one of our time machines to escape and we’re having a really hard time trying to catch him.” Leonardo threw his hands in the air. “Pah, these thieves are indeed horrible. I have seen them come through here many times. They are the scums much worse than the regular thieves here!” (y/n) sighed as she leaned back in her chair. “Well, I just hope that Engineer gets to him before he escapes again.” Leonardo paused as he thought for a moment. “Now that I think about it, how much have you three time traveled?” (y/n) froze for a moment as he waited for her response. “Before I answer that question,” she said, “how much is too much?” “Well,” Leonardo said, “it is obvious that one cannot use the time traveling in one day.” (y/n) went silent. “What is wrong?” He asked again. (y/n) started to give a small nervous smile. “Well…” she said in a quiet voice. Leonardo realized what she was mentioning as his face slowly started to drip. “No, please do not tell me that you did.” (y/n) sighed. “Well, if you count the times that Engineer, and I used the machine… I’d say about three times?” “Mio Dio!” He yelled as he clasped his head again. “And what about the other signore?!” (y/n) thought for a moment before she slowly spoke again. “About the same, really.” Leonardo quickly flopped onto the sofa before he gripped his beard. “Oh no, you have already broken a rule! They know, they will know!” (y/n) quickly sat up and assured him to calm down. “Woah, woah! What do you mean they will know, who are you talking about?” “You mean to tell me you do not know them?!” Leonardo yelled as he leaned back on the sofa. (y/n) quickly grabbed his shoulders. “Leonardo, I said before I’m new to this time traveling crap! I’m not even from the future that you speak of, I’m from much earlier from that. Now, help me out here and tell me who it is you’re talking about!”

Leonardo panted slightly as he tried to collect himself again. “There… are authorities that watch over the actions of time traveling from the far future that I mentioned before,” he said as (y/n) listened. “They… are the guardians of time travel; they watch what goes on… and if anyone is abusing the rules.” He cried out as he grabbed his head again. “My dear, they know where you are already. No doubt they will take you away and terminate you!” (y/n) recoiled back as she quickly stood up. “Terminate me, my god!” “I know, they are probably on their way right now as we speak!” (y/n) stood as she started to turn away from him. “My god,” she thought, “this is getting worse than I thought it would.” She quickly turned to Leonardo as he sat there, rocking back and forth. “Leonardo,” she said, “is there any way I can get out of this, can’t I explain to them that it’s not our fault?” Leonardo shook his head. “I have no idea dear; I have no idea. All I know is that they will be coming for you and your friend! Mio dio, oh mio dio!” (y/n) cursed to herself. “And on top of that, I can’t contact Engineer or my team to tell them about this.” She sighed as she rubbed her head and thought for a moment. Now, she had to deal with authorities coming to get her because of the rules she broke, though she had no idea when they were coming for her. What was even worse was that Engineer and Spy were in another place and were probably time traveling again for all she knew. However, one thing came up in her mind. “Leonardo,” she said, “I don’t think they can find me.” Leonardo looked up at her. “Singorina, how could you say that? Of course, they can!” (y/n) shook her head. “That’s not possible, I’m not the one who has the time machines.” Leonardo paused for a moment before he recollected his thoughts. “Wait, that is true. You do not have a machine around you.” She nodded as he sighed. “Well, you will be safe from the authorities.” Then, he grimaced. “But your friend will suffer from the consequences as well as the thief. You cannot save them now that you are here.” (y/n) sighed. “I know, but how much longer do you think Engie has before they come here?” Leonardo thought for a moment. “Let us see, they should have some trouble trying to capture him if he continues to time travel at such a rate. But the consequences will be worse if he continues.”

(y/n) thought for a moment as she paced out the room. As she faced the window, she noticed something she did not see before. Her eyebrows scrunched up as she looked out the glass and out towards the sky. “Hey, wasn’t it sunny before?” Leonardo froze as he slowly turned his head around and gasped when he saw the clouds. The beautiful sunset that once gleamed in the distance was now shrouded in dark and gloomy tuffs of clouds that seemed to stretch far into the distance. It swallowed the sun as it sailed near the town at such a fast rate. (y/n) felt a bad feeling rise in her chest as she glanced down below. She saw the vegetation and the bushes of the house start to sway around as the wind began to pick up. “Oh no, they’re looking for you. They’re coming!” Leonardo yelled as he scrambled to the window. (y/n) stared at the dark clouds as they appeared closer to their area. She felt the rumble of thunder and a few signs of lightning that illuminated the clouds as Leonardo started panicking again. “(y/n),” he said, “you must hide now. They are coming, they might know you’re here but if you hide then I can help steer them away from you.” (y/n) turned to him. “Are you sure, Leonardo?” He nodded his head furiously before he grabbed her arm. “Come now, come before they arrive!” He quickly led her to a part of the room with another small door. He quickly took out a key and unlocked it before he opened it. Scattered paint buckets and other art materials were stacked together. “This is my art closet, get in quick! I will come get you when it is over.” (y/n) quickly entered the closet as he closed the door and locked it. (y/n) felt herself immediately consumed by darkness as she stood still. The last thing (y/n) wanted to do was to knock some paint buckets over while the authorities were there. She could hear Leonardo pace around the room as she heard the sound of paints moving around and art supplies being thrown on the floor. The sound of thunder seemed to closer than ever as she felt the buckets rattle from the noise. Whatever was coming… or whoever was coming… she hoped that they would not get Engineer.”

…

“Dag nabit,” Engineer shouted as he hid behind a wooden wall, feeling the bullets penetrate the wood and pass through it as Spy continued to fire with his bullets. Engineer quickly took out his gun and appeared at the side of the wall and fired. Spy quickly ducked as he ceased firing. Engineer quickly took his chance and ran to the corner where the Spy was. Spy immediately ran as he quickly unloaded the empty bullets and started to place new ones in. Engineer wasted no time as he fired his gun at Spy. Spy continued to duck as he scrambled to another room. He quickly opened the door and slid it shut behind him, feeling a few bullets go through the delicate covering of the door. He quickly ducked to the floor as he quickly crawled over to a corner and took notice of the room. The room seemed to be some sort of tearoom with cushions on the floor with small tables of teacups and teapots. Spy quickly grabbed a small table and raised it above his head as he waited on the side of the door.

Engineer quickly ran down and opened the door. Before he could react, he was greeted by the feeling of wood crashing onto his head, causing him to fall to the ground. Engineer groaned as he crashed to the floor as he felt wood beneath his form. Spy chuckled as Engineer attempted to recover, only to have Spy place his foot on his back and start to put pressure, causing Engineer to groan. Spy aimed his revolver at the man. “Looks like your little journey ends here, cowboy.” Engineer gritted his teeth. “Go to hell,” he says as he spits on the floor. Spy smirks as he leans near his head. “After this, I will come for your precious little flower that you left in Italy. Once I find her again, consider seeing her on the other side once I am done with her.” As he heard the trigger pull back, Engineer felt rage boil through his body as the thought of Spy hurting (y/n) in any way possible. He felt his fists curl as he bit his cheek until it bled, feeling the warm liquid slowly run down his mouth and drip from his chin. Engineer felt heat rush throughout him. “So long, partner,” Spy said.

Before he could pull the trigger, a shout was heard from behind, causing Spy to turn around. Thousands of soldiers and samurais were seen running down the hall. As Spy was distracted, Engineer took the chance to quickly roll around and kick Spy off. Spy fell back, taken aback by the action. Engineer quickly lunged at Spy as he growled and punched him in the face. Pain spread throughout his face as he felt his nose break, causing him to scream. Spy quickly grabbed his knife and slashed it at Engineer again, causing the blade to run across his hard hat as he ducked. Spy immediately kicked Engineer off, causing him to stumble back. Spy wasted no time in punching in a new year into his watch. Engineer slowly got up as he looked up and spotted Spy pressing the button. A new light formed around him as he began to disappear again. Engineer glanced over the Spy to see the samurais and soldiers heading towards them. Without a second thought, he quickly got up and lunged at Spy. He felt the light grow stronger before he felt contact with the Spy before a flash of light consumed the entire room, causing the samurais to reel back and cover themselves as the soldiers quickly ducked to the ground and covered themselves, not knowing what was going on. Once the light disappeared, the soldiers and samurais slowly looked up and were dumbfounded to find nothing left but the empty tearoom.


	10. Author's Note (Don't worry)

Hello guys, I hope you are all doing well and I hope you guys are safe and healthy. 

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who took their time to read my work so far. This will probably be the longest story I have written and published so far, so I am pretty happy about that. So just a heads-up for all my lovely readers, I just want to say that this next chapter is going to be quite long and exciting, so it may take a while. I know some of you like to check daily for the next chapter, but I feel bad if I waste your time. So, I just want to say that this next chapter is probably not going to be published for a while. I have been working on this chapter for about three days... I think? It may have been longer. Anyway, I hope to get this chapter done by Saturday, but if not then I apologize because it might mean that it is still in progress. However, IF I do get this done early, you can check on Friday in the evening, since I post my stories around that time, or sometimes at 12:00 in the morning (oops). 

Overall, I am getting straight to work on these chapters and hoping that I do not lose my creativity in this, but to be fair I tend to get really excited while I'm writing this story because I just love it and I love writing in general. I will not be getting writer's block anytime soon, haha. If you have any feedback, I would love to hear it so, whether it is positive or negative! Thank you guys so much! 


	11. An Unexpected Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was once a fun adventure now turns into a dangerous game as the balance of time and space falls into the hands of (y/n) and Engineer. However, time seems to fall out of their hands as trouble starts to come to (y/n) as she awaits for the doom coming her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm glad that I made it before the due date hit, haha! I have succeeded once again, lol. Anyway, enjoy this chapter :)

Her breath became shallow as the thunder grew louder. The walls began to shake from the force of destruction and fear as the paint buckets rattled on with their music and the room filled with panic and worry. (y/n) felt her legs shake a little from the tension that filled the room as Leonardo began to scramble for his things. She could hear him panicking as he scrambled to fix the sofa and set up his room for the incoming introduction. She could hear the sound of lightning striking somewhere in the distance as she pressed herself against the door and closed her eyes. (y/n) tried to calm herself down by taking deep breaths, feeling the relief of the cold air rushing through her lungs, and breathing out as it escaped into the smell of paint. (y/n) kept her stance in place as she braced for the worst to come. A light flashed into the room, covering it in a white and blue hue as Leonardo covered his eyes with his flying robes from the wind that stirred from the light. (y/n) quickly shut her eyes for a moment as she felt the impact of the thing that appeared into the room. The light faded as the room began to clear once more as Leonardo slowly brought his robes down. (y/n) slowly opened her eyes to hear silence for a moment, but she could sense that there was someone, or something, in the room. (y/n) slowly breathed in and out, trying not to be so loud as she pressed her ear against the door to hear what was going on. Leonardo slowly opened his eyes as he was greeted with the sight of a figure that stood in front of the window that was now open. The thunder and lightning ceased as the sky began to clear slowly as the setting sun was shown once more waving goodbye before it started to fall asleep.

“Ah, it is you!” Leonardo exclaimed as he recognized the figure. In the middle of the room, one person was standing there as they turned their head slightly to examine the room. (y/n) listened carefully as she heard soft footsteps created by the person that was in the room. “Leonardo seems to know who this person is,” (y/n) thought. “Too bad I can’t see anything. God, I wish there were a small hole that he could’ve made.” Leonardo clapped his hands as the figure slowly walked over to him. “Hello, my dearest friend,” the figure said in a soft yet firm voice. (y/n) realized that the voice must have belonged to a woman, since she could make out the feminime aspect of it. She could hear Leonardo giving a gleeful introduction for her as (y/n) tried to make out who it was. “It is so nice to see you again, signorina!” He said as he grabbed her hand and clasped it around his. “It has been forever since you came here! Let’s see, it has been… uh…” He thought for a moment until he snapped his fingers together. “Three months, yes! Where have you been, signorina?” The woman gave a soft chuckle as she clasped her other hand around his.

“It certainly has been a long time, Leonardo,” she said in her soft voice. “However, I have come here with urgency,” she said with a grim voice. Leonardo’s smile dropped as he slowly let go of her hand. “Oh, you have… so you are not here to visit me?” “Not at first, but when I found out where I was going, I thought that it could turn into a visit as well for an old friend.” (y/n) could hear a slight smile in her voice as Leonardo sighed. “Well, I suppose that is good. So, what brings you here besides a visitation?” She could hear the woman slowly walk around. “Well,” the figure said, “I have been alerted that there was a disturbance in our timeline, and they needed someone to come capture the… criminals that are responsible for this.” “Oh, I see signorina. And if I may ask, is there anyone else accompanying you on this mission?” “I volunteered to go alone on this one,” she replied. (y/n) listened carefully as she talked, but she wanted to see this figure. Somehow, the voice sounded familiar, but she could not make heads or tails of it. (y/n) slowly brushed her hands around the door to find something like a small hole. The woman spoke. “I got the call when I was traveling to Europe,” she said, “since I was already there, I thought that I could do the job. I traced the disruption to London and found an empty market with people complaining and screaming that there was a fight that went down.” Leonardo fiddled with his robes as he laughed. “Oh, I see that these people are fooling around, correct? I do not see how that is such a big deal, signorina.” The woman slowly stopped in front of the couch and sat down. “Well, I can assure you that is not the reason why I was sent here,” she said. Leonardo felt his hands shaking a bit, so he clapped his hands together. “My dear, then what is it you seek?” “I am here because these criminals have been abusing their time machines. I have heard that they have used it more than once, but at least three times,” she said in a stern voice. Leonardo felt himself gulp as (y/n) froze. By the sound of it, this woman did not seem happy about what they were doing. “Shit, we’re in it for sure,” (y/n) thought.

Leonardo gave a small gasp. “Indeed,” she said, “as you know, these people have broken one of the rules already. Therefore, they must be punished for their actions.” Leonardo came over to her and slowly sat down next to her. “I do not know who these people are, but I identified one of them along the way here,” she said. (y/n) felt sweat breaking out as she said this. “Crap, she found one of us already. But, who?” Then, (y/n) found a small speck of light flooding from a tiny hole on the side of the door. “Bingo,” (y/n) thought as she slowly moved herself to the spot. The hole was quite small, but it was just enough for her to put her eye through to see. She slowly peered and pressed herself against the wood as she investigated the room. (y/n) could see the side of the sofa as Leonardo sat down; but his back was blocking the view of the woman who was on the other side. (y/n) tried to hard to move around, but she could only make out a few points. From her perspective, the woman seemed to be wearing some sort of dark blue cloak that covered her form. She seemed to be around her height, but she could not tell due to Leonardo blocking her view. “I discovered a man in red,” she said. “He seemed to be using one of the old wormholes and I just so happened to be using another one when I saw him. I called out to him, but he either chose to ignore me or he could not have heard me. Either way, I intend to catch him. However,” she slowly looked at Leonardo as he listened. “I found out that they made a stop here in your time before they left.” (y/n) saw Leonardo tense up as he tried to brush it off. “What, here? Nonsense, I would have known if they did,” he said. The woman slowly adjusted the hood of her cloak. “Well, I would have assumed they would have landed in your room like I did the first time. But it looks like you are not aware of their presence.” Leonardo shook his head. “No, I would have known. I suppose they have landed in a different place.” The woman slowly nodded her head as she glanced away. “Hm, well I have been able to trace them and found out that they were wandering through this area,” she said in a neutral voice. Leonardo began to sweat as he quickly wiped it away when she was not looking. “Hm, that is quite funny. I would know if they were here because I would have seen them, you know?” He gave a laugh until the woman turned around. “I suppose you would have,” she said in a small voice.

“Other than that, how are you doing Leonardo?” Leonardo felt relief and went back to his relaxed state. (y/n) felt herself calm down once the woman began to change topics. She looked again as she was able to see the woman once she was standing. She observed her as she took in her clothing: a dark blue cloak covered her figure that reached to the floor. However, she could not see the woman’s face. (y/n) looked closer and realized that the woman was wearing some sort of mask with a few blue outlines. The mask did not appear to have any eyes or mouth, but it surely covered the woman’s face. She could tell that the woman was able to see through the mask anyway since she could get around the room with grace and ease. (y/n) saw that the woman had a few strands of hair appearing from her cloak. “Who the hell is this person?” She thought. “Ah, well I have been doing quite alright. My, it has been getting hot here lately,” Leonardo said. The woman nodded. “I see, I suppose that summer is not your cup of tea.” “Ah no, it makes my robes stick to me.” He quickly fixed his robes to show her. The woman nodded. She turned back to the window and glanced out. “So, you seem to be doing alright. I suppose these people have not caused any havoc around?” “No, not that I know of,” he said. “Hm, that is funny.” Leonardo froze as she said this. “What do you mean?” She slowly pressed her hand to the window and traced a few designs on it with her finger. (y/n) stayed quiet as she listened to what she said next. “Well, I caught a glimpse of the market before I came here. I believe I saw a few people in distress.” Leonardo placed his hands behind us back. “Distress, when, and who?” “Well, it has come to the attention that there was some disturbance in the market.” (y/n) cursed to herself as she realized the woman was talking about the inn. “Great,” she thought, “don’t know how Leonardo’s going to get around this.” Leonardo started giving a nervous laughter as he cleared his throat. “I did not know of this; I have not left this house all day. That must be horrible, signorina.” 

The woman slowly turned around, the cloak following her movements. The woman was about to speak when something caught her attention. She turned her head slightly to stare at the table in front of the sofa. (y/n) tried to follow her gaze as she wondered what she was staring at. “What is wrong, signorina?” Leonardo asked in a timid voice. The woman said nothing as she slowly walked over to the table and picked up the teacups. (y/n) felt herself sweating as she saw Leonardo’s eye widen. He knew he messed up. “It seems you had a guest come over today,” she said as she examined the cups. Leonardo played with his collar as he slowly adjusted his collar, feeling the sweat building up. “Ah… yes I have! I-It was a… uh… a guest that came over for the day,” he said. The woman slowly turned to him. Though he could not see her eyes, he felt them penetrating through the mask and into his form as he began to shake. The woman slowly walked towards him. “It seems you are hiding something from me, Leonardo,” she said in a stern voice. Leonardo slowly gulped as she stared him down. Leonardo felt the sweat running down his forehead as he tried to make an excuse. “What, lying? No, how could I do such a thing? It was just a guest of mine, you know, some of the people I choose to commission my artwork.” The woman slowly leaned into him as her face was near his. Leonardo felt his legs shaking as she said nothing for a while. “If you do not wish to lie to me,” she said in a low voice, “then tell me, who was here before I arrived?” Leonardo knew he could not look away, or she would know that he was hiding something else from her. (y/n) bit her lip as she squinted through the hole. “God no, please Leonardo don’t give it away,” she thought as she held her breath. The painter was in a terrible state of worry as endless beads of sweat formed on his neck, his hair sticking to the salty liquid as he felt his body shake. “Well… uh…” “Leonardo, speak now.” The woman seemed impatient as she waited for his response. (y/n) closed her eyes as she leaned her head against the door, waiting for Leonardo’s response. Leonardo slowly opened his mouth and sighed. “Alright, I cannot hide it from you anymore,” he said in a quiet voice as (y/n) squeezed her eyes shut and curled her hands into fists. “Sorry Engineer… looks like it’s up to you now,” she thought as she braced for him to show her location.

“I have taken interest in one of the… male servants here,” he said in a calm voice as he lowered his gaze. (y/n) quickly opened her eyes as she stared at the ground for a moment. “What,” she thought. The woman stood there as she listened to the man. “I suppose I will tell you this. After all, I know you will not tell anyone else about my little secret,” he said. The woman seemed to think for a moment before she slowly nodded her head. “Alright,” she said, “go on.” Leonardo sighed as he spoke. “Well, I was painting this boy earlier and I… well… I insisted he stay for a little while longer and made tea for us.” The woman said nothing as she listened on. “And… well… we spoke for a while longer until he had to go… well… this is very hard for me to say… but… well…” “You like the boy,” the woman said, interrupting him. (y/n) stood there as she began to process what she was saying. “Wait, Leonardo is…” Her mind put the pieces together before she realized what he saw saying. “…Oh.” The woman remained silent as he continued. “Yes… I do like the boy and I seem to have a… uh… romantic interest,” he said as he finished. The woman looked at him for a moment before she gave him a hug. “Oh Leonardo,” she said, “you did not have to hide that from me.” (y/n) felt relief throughout her system as the woman’s suspicions disappeared. “I am glad that you have an interest,” she said as Leonardo returned the hug. He gave a sigh and a smile. “Oh signorina, I am so glad that you are happy for me! You are truly a wonderful friend!” The woman continued to hug him until he let go. “Now, would you like something to drink or anything to eat?” The woman slowly shook her head. “No, I am afraid I am on a tight schedule due to… you know… the criminals.” Leonardo’s smile faltered as she mentioned her main task. “Oh, I see. Well, I wish you good luck in finding them.” The woman nodded as she turned away. However, a small sound was heard, almost like an alarm going off. She quickly raised her arm to reveal a small panel on her arm. (y/n) looked closely from her viewpoint and looked at the panel. The woman tapped it to reveal a projected image that showed a map with small tunnels curling around it. As (y/n) squinted at the panel, she realized that the panel itself was actually engraved into her skin. “Jesus Christ, what is up with the future?” She thought. The panel had small wires that showed through the skin as they disappeared into the thicker parts. She could see some of them glow from being active as the woman zoomed in through the panel. There were two small dots that traveled through a tunnel together as they left a destination on the map. 

“Well,” the woman said as she watched the dots. “It appears that the time travelers are leaving Japan as we speak.” (y/n) paled as she realized that the two dots must be Engineer and Spy. “Oh no,” she thought. “It seems that these two do not want to acknowledge the rules. Oh well, they are only digging a deeper hole for themselves.” She turned off the panel as she turned to Leonardo. “I am sorry to cut my visitation short, but I will return later to make it up for you. As of now,” she slowly placed her hand between her cloak and searched for something. (y/n) wondered what she was doing until her eyes widened when she saw the woman pull out some sort of weapon. It looked like a highly advanced gun with sleek and delicate futures. “I suppose I will have to use greater force for them if they continue this.” (y/n) placed a hand on her mouth as she tried not to scream. She realized the woman’s intentions the more she stared at the gun in her hand. Leonardo stiffened as he watched her examine her weapon, twirling it a little. “A-Are you sure such violence is necessary for them?” Leonardo asked as she placed the gun back in its place behind her cloak. She looked up at Leonardo. “Of course, it is. These criminals are well-aware of the rules of time traveling and they choose not to listen. Therefore, they must pay for the price.” (y/n) watched as Leonardo cleared his throat. “But, for all you know they could be new to this whole thing.” The woman turned to him as (y/n) stood quietly from her place, watching her with careful eyes. “What do you mean, Leonardo?” “Well,” he spoke, “we never know the real reason why they are doing it. For all you know, one might be chasing the other for some reason.” The woman slowly walked towards him. “And how would you know what their intentions might be, Leonardo?” The man gave a nervous shrug as she neared him again. “Signorina, I was just making a suggestion from my point of view. I mean, that thing in your hand seemed to be deadly.” The woman slowly nodded her head. “Why Leonardo, I am using this to restore order and prevent people from abusing the timeline. I have already started to see the effects of their abuse.” Leonardo’s eyes widen. “Mio Dio, what effects?” (y/n) froze. “Have we caused that much damage already?” She thought.

“Indeed, and I am not happy about it,” the woman said. “The wormholes that connect the different timelines have began to deteriorate from the abuse. In fact, mine started to dissolve as I was traveling, but I have managed to get here in time before it disappeared. If these two fools continue their spree, I can guarantee none of us will be here for much longer if space decides to rip a hole and kill us all.” (y/n) felt herself want to throw up again. She knew that this was coming, but it was happening sooner than she expected to. She realized that her and Engineer were not the only ones in danger anymore. “Oh my god, how much is Engineer traveling through time? He has to get the Spy before they travel anymore,” she thought. Her hands began to shake as she thought about what was to come. On top of what damage, they have caused already, now (y/n) has to worry about this woman who is after them because of what they did. God, if (y/n) knew about these things sooner, she would have never traveled here. Hell, if she knew she would have destroyed the time machine herself even if it Engineer objected to it. At this point, she could have cared less if Engineer got mad at her or anything, she should have discovered that time machine and destroyed it when she had the chance. Because of that thing, it has caused more trouble than anything she had ever been through. The worst part that made her stomach clench was the fact that she was stuck here and could not do anything about it. She was doomed to be here until Engineer came back; but now she had to worry if he ever does come back now that this woman was going after them. If that woman manages to kill either the Spy or worse, Engineer, then she knows that she can never get back home. (y/n) wanted to beat herself up for feeling so useless in a situation like this. She had no way of communicating or helping Engineer, she wanted to just die for not being able to save her friend. Now, she felt that she was facing the consequences for falling into this mess.

The woman turned off her screen. “Well Leonardo, I must be on my way. Who knows what these two will pull off again?” Leonardo gave a nervous smile as she turned to the window. Leonardo felt himself fiddling with his fingers as she started to press a few things on her panel again. “It was nice seeing you again,” she said as she turned to him. Leonardo gave a small wave. “Ah well, I hope you come back to visit me again. I do enjoy your company as always.” (y/n) felt tears forming in her eyes as she watched the woman about to leave. “Of course, Leonardo, as do I.” The woman turned towards the window as she watched a few clouds start to form through the sky. She glanced at the map again on her screen. Leonardo said nothing as he felt worry take over his form again. “So, you are planning to capture them, right?” The woman stopped as she turned her head slightly over her shoulder. “No,” she said in her voice. (y/n) felt fear rush through her as she felt her heart stop at what the woman said next: “I’m going to kill them.” (y/n) could not help it anymore, she did not care if she was going to be killed or not, she did not care who this woman was anymore, she was tired of being this useless and was not going to stay here and let her friend get killed by some authority because some god damn Spy stole his work and pay the price for it, and she was not going to live with a burden if her friend was killed and have to live with it for the rest of her life just because she did nothing about it.

“No!” (y/n) gave an animalistic shout as she screamed and brought her foot up and slam it against the door. For such a small figure, (y/n) had the power in her as that one blow cause the door to fly off its hinges, the sound of the lock breaking as the door flew across the room and slammed against the paints and easel on the sofa, causing it to crash down on the floor. The force that (y/n) exerted was strong that the walls that surrounded the door was filled with cracks as the walls began to chip away and fall to the floor. The paint buckets in the room rattled until some of them began to fall one by one onto the floor as (y/n) wasted no time in running out. Leonardo started to wail as he clasped his hands over his head. “What are you doing?!” He shouted as (y/n) ran to the middle of the room and growled at the woman. “Don’t you dare lay a hand on my friend!” The woman stopped as she quickly turned around to face the girl in the middle of the room. (y/n) glared at her as she grabbed her dress and ripped it away, revealing her original outfit underneath. The woman was taken aback as she froze there in her place, looking at (y/n). (y/n) huffed as she bared her teeth, her body trembling in anger. “I will kill you before you even lay a hand on my friend,” she spoke with seething anger in her voice. The woman continued to stare at (y/n), though (y/n) could not see her expression due to the mask that covered her face. But she did not care at the moment because right now, she was going to stop this woman from doing anything to Engineer. Leonardo started to cry as he collapsed on his knees. “Signorina,” he wailed, “please do not hurt her! Please, she did nothing wrong!”

Still, the woman said nothing else as she continued to stand near the window. Then, she slowly shut off her panel as the clouds began to disappear once more. (y/n) stared as she raised her fists up to her face, waiting for a response to come from the woman. The woman slowly set her arm down and finally took a step forward. (y/n) flinched as she tensed and got ready to fight. The silence that the woman brought with her caused (y/n) to feel a bit nervous. “What lady,” she said, “cat got your tongue or something?” The woman stopped a few feet from her. (y/n) assumed the lady was scanning her form to see where she came from. (y/n) waited as Leonardo continued to wail from behind her and cry tears that looked like rivers. Though she had to admit, she was somewhat nervous about this woman after she knew what she was capable of. This woman was from a completely different era and was more advanced than she was. However, (y/n) was going to use her fists since she felt that she would probably not last with her unless she grabbed that gun away from her. But the woman finally spoke, but her voice was timid and softer than before. “What?” (y/n) was caught off guard by this. From her assumptions, the woman seemed shocked and surprised rather than angry and upset. “W-What, what do you mean ‘what’?” (y/n) said in a serious voice. The woman seemed to be processing what was happening, giving (y/n) the opportunity to talk. “Look, my friend and I didn’t know the rules of time traveling, I swear! We’re only abusing it because some stupid thief took our other time machine and we’re trying to chase him down before he does anything else! My friend and I didn’t know we were breaking the rules of time, we just want to catch him and go back home. Look, I’m sorry if we are and I understand that you want to kill them, but don’t do it to my friend, please!” (y/n) panted as she finished, watching the woman closely. She heard Leonardo stop crying, but he started to sniffle from his recovery as he waited nervously for the woman.

Suddenly, the woman slowly reached up and lowered her hoodie. “I…” The woman began talking in a small voice. “I… don’t believe it…” she said as she let the hoodie drop over her back. The woman revealed her hair that had multiple braids running along the sides that met in the back to create a tight bun. At that moment, (y/n)’s mind went numb as she stared at the woman. Somehow, she felt that she knew the woman. She stared at her hair. “Her hair…” she thought. “Her hair… it looks…” she could not comprehend it as she watched the woman’s action. The woman slowly reached her hands up and placed them behind her head. A click was heard as the mask released a puff of air. (y/n) began to realize that the woman was taking off her mask as she braced for anything else. Leonardo went silent behind her as he looked at the woman with shock and curiosity. The woman in front of her slowly lifted the mask as she started to move it away from her face. (y/n) gasped as the mask was lowered from her face and placed in the woman’s hands as the woman opened her eyes. “No…” (y/n) felt shock along her face as her fists started to shake as she took a step back. “Oh my god…” she mumbled as she stared at the new face in front of her. Something hit the ground behind her as Leonardo fainted and collapsed into the floor. The woman placed her mask behind her cloak as she opened her eyes and faced (y/n). (y/n) felt her eyes widened as she slowly shook her head. “What the hell…” A scar ran along the woman’s face, running from her eyebrow, past her eye, to her lip. There were a few wrinkles next to her eyes and her mouth, but she looked to be about in her thirties. However, that was not the thing that threw (y/n) off guard; it was the woman herself. She looked into the woman’s eyes to scan for any tricks or traps, but there was nothing but recognition and surprise from the woman. “No, it can’t be,” she said. The woman spoke again. “Sadly, it is.” (y/n) felt herself tremble as she slowly walked back and grabbed the sofa. The woman gave a soft smile as she stared at (y/n). The next words she spoke made (y/n)’s heart stop as her world came to a halt: _“I am you from the future.”_

…

A punch lands on Engineer as he kicks at the Spy. He feels themselves start to travel through another tunnel; however, it was not the same tunnel that he once knew. The tunnel that was once blue and bright was now losing its shine as cracks began to form around it. Engineer was too busy to notice as the Spy grabbed his knife again. Engineer quickly kicked the knife out of his hand with his boot, watching it float away until it went through the wall of the tunnel and disappeared forever. The Spy managed to get behind Engineer and get him a choke hold, causing Engineer to gasp for air as he tried to hit his fist against the Spy’s chest. The Spy started laughing as he pressed his arm tighter against his throat. Engineer brought his leg up and tried kicking the Spy, but his continued to miss. Spy snorted at his attempt as he watched his failed attempts to hit him. “You die here and now,” he said with a smirk. Engineer began to see black spots surround his vision as the need for air became nothing but short gasps. Then, he felt Spy’s other hand reaching for his time machine around his wrist. “Looks like you won’t be needing this anymore,” he said in a cocky voice. The moment Spy placed his hand on the watch, Engineer quickly grabbed his hand and twisted his thumb back, causing Spy to scream as the bones cracked out of place. He felt his grip loosen as Engineer wasted no time and began to breathe in heavy amounts of air. Engineer turned around and hit his head against Spy’s nose, causing it to bleed. He felt his vision clear as Spy grasped his nose, the blood flowing out and floating through the air from the weightless gravity.

The force from Engineer’s attack caused Spy to float away from Engineer’s grasp as he floated further down the tunnel. Engineer tried to push himself closer to get the Spy, but he seemed to be stuck in place as the tunnel carried them. Engineer sighed as he missed his chance of getting the other watch. However, he began to take notice of his surroundings as his mouth dropped as he watched in horror. The tunnels that surrounded the outside were now eroding into nothing but dust as some began to fall into the nothingness below them as the world began to turn dark. The tunnels were no longer as they lost their beautiful shine and color of blue that he saw from the beginning of their adventure. He watched as a broken tunnel detached from its height and came crashing down into another tunnel below. Engineer became horrified as he grinded his teeth together. “Damn it, ah’ don’t think we have much time left,” he said. He felt his gut churning as he continued to watch in horror. Thoughts came pouring into his head as he realized that there was not much time left on his hands. He started to wonder about the meter in the workshop back home. Thinking about the meter hitting its limit made his heart drop as he imagined time ripping apart. However, the thought about (y/n) being stranded in Italy made his heart clench and want to tear itself open. He wanted to hit himself over the head for doing so and for the stupid decision he made. He started to think that maybe it would have been better to bring (y/n) along instead of going after Spy himself, maybe things would have been easier and maybe they would have enough to go back home. He clenched his fist as he realized that it was too late to do anything about it, but now he had to make sure he had enough to go back to get (y/n) and then return home.

Engineer felt himself look at the time machine as he scrolled through the screen. He came upon a red screen that showed the communications channel. A red ‘x’ was displayed across it as he sighed. He recalled the last conversation he had with the team and felt like he wanted to crash his head against a pillar. He knew he messed up the moment he refused to say where (y/n) was, he knew his team would get angry with him and have his head on a platter. Now, he had to face the constant reminder of (y/n) being left alone and the team blaming him for it, in which he agrees that it was his fault no doubt. Yet, he felt like ditching Spy and going back to get (y/n), but then the Spy would escape, and it would take longer to get him. If he were to go back now, no doubt he would have to face the wrath of (y/n) again and imagined her hitting him over the head with a paintbrush and a bucket. The thought of that made him snort a bit, but his soft smile quickly turned into a frown. With what was going on now, he wondered if there was even a chance left to make it back home. Looking at the broken tunnels again, he realized that time was cut short for him if he did not get to Spy in time. Engineer glanced back to where Spy was as he started to fall again. Engineer braced for impact as he felt himself get sucked in as the light began to form again, consuming them in its bright form as he closed his eyes and braced for another adventure ahead.

…

Sniper grit his teeth as he slammed his hand on the table. After the whole shouting and yelling once Sniper discovered Engineer leaving (y/n) alone, he found himself sitting in the kitchen by himself. He leaned in his chair as he placed his hat down, rubbing his face. He felt his anger start to irritate him the more he thought about it. “Bloody hell,” he muttered as he placed his head in his hands. “God, oi should’ve been the one to go. That bloody mongrel went back on his word, he left her stranded in a god damn country, and he just cut us off. What the bloody hell?!” He hunched over as he propped himself on his elbows. He could not believe it; he could not believe that the worse could happen. The thoughts of his friend being stranded and wondering where to go made him angrier as he gripped his hair. Sniper wanted to just punch Engineer in his face if he were here and scream at him, but he felt hopeless. With no communication to contact her, he started to wonder what was going on or what she was doing. Not that he doubted her abilities, he knew she could take care of herself; but being in a different time era was a different experience. She probably could make her way around it, but then again, he did not know what was going on during the different eras. The fact that he was not there to watch out for one of his teammates, especially his friend, drilled holes into his skull. He could not do anything but watch as the meter goes up as they grow anxious with every ticking movement of time. He could not help but imagine what would happen if Engineer could not make it back in time to get (y/n) and return home. “Oh, what the hell?!” He slammed his fist harshly on the table, causing it to rattle from the impact. He sighed as he slumped in his chair, crossing his legs as he leaned his head back. There was nothing they could do but wait for now, nothing to do but hope and anticipate that they made him home safely, nothing to do but rely on Engineer. Though Sniper did not want to after what he just heard, he knew Engineer was their only hope in stopping Spy and coming back to get (y/n). Sniper rubbed his face as he tried to calm himself down, but he just could not help but think about the situation. He sighed as he slowly got up to fix himself some coffee. It seemed that he was going to have to stay up and watch the meter since he could not rely on others to do it for him. Spy will grow tired and retire to his room while Scout will go back to his room. Medic would probably hide in his room and drown in his own problems after what happened.

Sniper placed the grounds in the filter as he poured the water and started the machine. The coffee machine whirred to life as it began to heat up. Sniper leaned against the counter as he heard the warm liquid start to drip down into the glass jar as he waited patiently. He sighed as he listened to the sound of the liquid dripping from the machine as he let himself calm the waters and take in the only melody he could hear. He glanced up at the clock that hung on the wall that ticked as the hands moved to point at the numbers. It was already nighttime here, and the weekend was already over after the sun rises. The team was supposed to be ready by morning to be on their way to Saxton Hale’s park for another match against the Blu, but now they were missing two members. Without their full team, there was no way they were going to win against the Blu, unless they ask the Administrator to postpone the match. But then again, how were they going to explain to the Administrator that their missing team members were stuck in another world or whatever it was? Sniper sighed as he rubbed his head. He believed the Administrator wouldn’t be too happy about the situation they were in. He hoped that Engineer and (y/n) were able to get back before sunrise at least, but right now he did not see that happening anytime soon. Maybe he should lie to the Administrator and tell her that they were sick, or would the Administrator see through that? Sniper was not fond of the Administrator anyway; he always thought she was up to something, or maybe she was hiding something from them. From the time he stepped foot onto this place, he never once saw her face or any picture of her. Her assistant was the only other person he saw, but she was a familiar face for cleaning up the mess left by the team and she used to help around until (y/n) showed up. Yet, the Administrator always kept herself hidden and out of sight from the mercenaries. Sniper always wondered the reason why she was like that; maybe there was something wrong with her face or maybe she was doing it for her sake?

The sound of the coffee finishing caught his attention as he was greeted with the full pot in the machine. He sighed as he took out a cup from the cabinet and began to pour himself the delicious warm liquid. He took a sip before grabbing the pot and taking it with him to the workshop. Sniper pushed the door open with his shoulder as he made his way down the hallway. A sudden blur of red crashed into him the moment he turned the corner, the impact sending him to the ground as he felt his cup crash and shatter across the floor. The pot that was in his hands managed to slip out and hit the incoming figure as the pot crashed into their head, the hot liquid flying everywhere, but mostly on the person. Sniper groaned as he hit the floor with the figure crashing next to him. “Ow, fire! Fire! Dat’s hot!” Screamed the familiar voice. Sniper slowly got up and rubbed his head. He opened his eyes to find Scout jumping and screaming as he was covered in the brown liquid. “Ah!” He flailed around as he ran in circles. Sniper looked down to see his once whole mug now in pieces as they littered the floor in white. “Jesus Christ mate,” Sniper yelled, “can’t you bloody see where you’re going?” He got up and started collecting the broken pieces from the mug as he held them in his hands. His gift was ruined as the ‘#1 Sniper’ logo was no more as he stared at the remains. Scout managed to calm down as he slid on the floor and landed on his butt from the coffee. “Ow!” He yelped as he massaged his butt. Sniper sighed in annoyance as he picked up the pot from the ground. He turned his attention to Scout. “Watch where I’m goin’? How ‘bout you watch what you’re doin’ pal?” Sniper quickly grabbed Scout by the collar. “Hey, hey, watch it!” The boy yelled as Sniper raised him to eye level. “Clean this up, now.” Sniper said in a low voice. Scout brushed him off as Sniper plopped his feet onto the ground. “Geez, okay, okay!” Scout brushed past Sniper until he slipped on the coffee again and landed on his face. Sniper sighed as he continued to the workshop, holding the broken mug in his hands. Sniper really did not want to throw out the pieces of his mug and wanted to try and glue the pieces back together; but looking down at the small pieces he doubts that he could fix this if he tried. If he did, it would probably take him a lot of glue and extra patience.

Sniper made his way to the workshop as he entered the room to see Medic sitting in the chair by himself. Medic heard his footsteps as he turned his head around. “Hello doctor,” Sniper greeted as Medic waved his hand slightly. Sniper looked around and realized Spy was gone. “Oi suppose Spy went to sleep?” Medic nodded his head slightly. “Vell, he headed back to his room, but he didn’t say he vas going to sleep.” “Yeah, probably smoke another one to kill himself faster,” Sniper muttered. He walked past Medic and set the shattered pieces on the table. Medic turned around and raised an eyebrow as he examined the pieces. “Oh Sniper, do not tell me you plan on fixing zhat.” Sniper replied to him by staring at him as he walked to the cabinets and started searching through them. Medic rolled his eyes and he turned in his chair. “Oh come on Sniper, zhat mug is quite shattered. I don’t zhink you can even fix it beyond zhat point.” Sniper ignored him as his hands landed on the glue. He took it out and began to open it as he made his way around the table. Medic turned to face Sniper, frowning at his lack of response. “You are vasting your time vith zhat mug,” he said. Sniper pulled up another chair and sat down near the table as he began to figure out the pieces, gluing on the pieces that fit together. “I do not know vhy you insist on it, I say it is a vaste of time.” “(y/n) got me this mug,” he said, not bothering to look at Medic. Medic said nothing else and turned away from him, looking at the screen. Sniper continued working as Medic stared at the screen. He clasped his hands together as he rested his face against them. The room was silent as the sound of ceramic clinking together was heard with Sniper working on his broken mug.

“Is that zhe real reason vhy you are fixing zhat… mug?” Medic asked as he continued to stare at the screen. Sniper gave a glance with his eyes as he went back to focusing on his task. “What do you mean, mate?” Medic sighed as he turned around to face Sniper, his glasses glistening from the moon pouring in. “You know exactly vhat I mean.” Sniper paused as he looked up and faced the doctor. “Listen doc, oi don’t know what else you want me to say, but this was a gift from (y/n) and oi appreciate it,” he said as he stared at Medic, who seemed to be giving him some kind of look. “Und how do I know it’s not because zhere is somezhing going on between you two?” Then it clicked Sniper as he realized what Medic was trying to say. He gave him a glare as he placed the glue down. “You’re really trying to cause trouble, aren’t you mate?” Medic glared at him as he fixed his glasses. “It is quite obvious, since you two seem to get along quite vell.” Sniper felt his mouth twitch as he looked back at his work. “You seem to be in a bad mood, mate. Did something tick you off earlier?” Medic said nothing else as he returned to the screen. Silence consumed them once more as Sniper worked on his mug. He poked himself with a sharp piece of ceramic as he hissed. He looked at his finger to see a tiny dot of blood starting to appear. “Stupid… piece…” he muttered as he glued together another piece. Medic took a deep breath and sighed as his eyes caught the meter. He froze as the meter started to move again. “Schiesse,” he said aloud, catching Sniper’s attention. “Wot is it?” Medic said nothing as the meter began to slowly hit the halfway mark of the yellow line. “Ve’re running out of time,” he said. Sniper gazed up at the meter as he froze. The meter was now taunting them as it was showing them no mercy. “Great,” Sniper muttered as the meter stopped again. Medic glanced back at the screen and watched the wavelengths break apart again. “Zhis is getting more unstable each time,” he said. Sniper bit his cheek as he turned away and back to the mug. “Oi know, mate. But we can’t do much now, can we?” “Ah vell, I guess (y/n) and Engineer vill be stuck for good,” Medic said in a cold tone. Sniper stopped as he turned his attention to him. “You know wot mate,” he said, “you’ve been acting like a petty princess this whole toime.” Medic turned to him. “Vhat was zhat?” Sniper slowly stood up. “You heard me, you’ve been acting cold towards (y/n) and whining about it this whole toime.” Medic glared at him. “Oh, like you know anyzhing you filzhy man.”

Sniper was about to retort back when a voice sounded over the system. “Hello, can anyone hear me?” The two paused as Engineer’s voice sounded through the room. Medic quickly turned on the button. “Hallo, Engineer?” “Yes, it’s me. Listen,” he said, “ah’ need to know how the meter’s doin’.” Medic rubbed his head. “Um… not so good.” “What do you mean, doc?” Sniper walked over. “The bloody thing’s at the halfway mark,” he said. Engineer cursed. “Damn it, ah’ only have a few more times ah’ can travel before it’s over.” Sniper pressed the button again. “Should’ve thought about it before leaving (y/n) in the middle of a god damn country.” Engineer sighed. “Jesus, ah’ know boy. Give me a little break, ah’ almost got the Spy. This should be my last time jump before ah’ can get (y/n) back, ah’m gonna get that son of a bitch right now.” Sniper rolled his eyes. “For wot mate, like the third time?” “Damn it Sniper, give me a break!” Engineer yelled through the speaker. “Look fellas, ah’m tryin’ my best here. Ah’m tryin’ to figure out whether ah’ll have enough to go back and get (y/n) after ah’m done with this sucker.” Medic glanced at the meter again. “Vell, I’d say you have about three or four jumps left.” “Listen mate,” Sniper said, “you better get that Spy now than later.” “Yes, ah’ know Sniper,” Engineer said. “Just keep an eye on the thing, will ya?” “Vhat else is zhere to do?” Medic said with a hint of sarcasm. “Oh, by zhe way,” Medic said, “zhere appears to be somezhing going on vith the wavelengths.” “What do ya mean?” “Zhey appear to be breaking apart.” “Shit,” Engineer said through the speaker. “I do not zhink you have much time left,” Medic said. “Yeah, no kiddin’. Ah’ gotta get him now or else we’re all doomed.” Sniper butt in and blocked Medic. “What about (y/n), mate? You need to have enough time to get the Sheila back.” “Mein gott! Can’t you see she is not zhat much of a concern right now?” Medic said as he pushed Sniper away. Sniper was taken aback by the statement. “Mate,” he said with a glare, “just because you’re acting like a little princess does not mean you have to do that to (y/n).” Engineer quickly butt in. “Now cut it out you two, act like the grown gentlemen you look like. Right now, we don’t need anymore problems. Right now, ah’ got a Spy on mah’ hands. Just keep an eye and update me on anything else. Ah’ll call y’all later if ah’ have to.”

Engineer turned off the communications as the two were left alone. “Wot is your problem, mate?” Sniper growled. Medic turned to him. “Oh, did I strike a nerve?” He said in a mocking voice. Sniper curled his fist up. “Oi don’t understand why you need to have an attitude.” “Oh, you vould be acting zhe same vay if you vere rejected.” Sniper paused for a minute before he groaned. “Seriously mate? You’re acting loike this because you got rejected by some girl?” “I can see vhy, she seems to have a spot saved for you.” Sniper shook his head as Medic turned away. “For such a doctor, you are one stupid bloke.” “At least I don’t live in a camping van!” Sniper sighed as he returned to his seat. “German douchebag.” “Stinking mutt.” “Bloody mongrel.” “Dunnkopf.” “Petty princess.” “Schweinehund.” Sniper sighed as he said nothing else, fixing the pieces again. Medic smirked as he turned around and focused on the screen again, thinking he got Sniper to shut up. Then, Sniper spoke. “Do you really want the Sheila to stay there forever?” Silence overcame again as Medic paused for a moment. Sniper heard this as he slowly glanced at the Medic as he ceased fitting the pieces together. “No, of course not,” Medic said in a low voice. He crossed his arms and leaned against the chair. Sniper said nothing until he sighed. He knew why Medic was upset and he could understand his frustrations and hatred, but he also felt that Medic was getting a little out of hand with this. Sure, it must have hurt like a bitch, but (y/n) only did it for a good reason. In Sniper’s perspective, he knew (y/n) did the right thing for the team, that was all she did. She helped the team because she wanted to, because she cared, and she only rejected Medic because she cared about them altogether rather than singling one out or picking favorites. Sniper wanted to say something to Medic, say that he got it all wrong, that (y/n) only did it for a reason, but he was also nervous to say anything because he felt that (y/n) did not want to make things worse or make it seem like an excuse. However… he glanced back at Medic to see his back turned towards him, facing the screen again with a hand on his cheek, in thought.

Sniper lowered his gaze back to his broken mug, getting glue stuck on his fingers. “Aw bloody hell…” he muttered as he looked at the sticky glue. He sighed as he looked at what he had left. He was able to put a few pieces back together, but he only managed to make a corner, just barely a curve. “This is going to be a long night,” he thought. Sniper usually went on with his day and never wanted to get into trouble, but as he glanced at Medic, he could not help but feel sorry for the man. Sniper went back to his work as Medic sat in the chair, unmoving. The tension in the room was very… eerie, per say. It was one that Sniper was used to but feeling the aura around Medic was making him quite uncomfortable. The unease he was feeling made him mess up on his cup again, causing him to curse under his breath. “Alright,” Sniper thought. “You know mate,” Sniper said as he worked on the mug, “she only did it because she cares about you.” He heard Medic scoff on the side. “Ja, she cares about me so much she left me zhere.” Sniper shook his head and continued to work on his part. “That’s not what oi mean mate,” he said. “There’s more to it than that.” “Oh, really now?” Medic questioned as he turned around in his chair. “Tell me zhen,” he said, “vhat else is zhere to explain?” Sniper paused in his work as he turned to face Medic. He sighed, knowing he had to do what he had to do. “She told me that she didn’t want to reject you, mate,” he said, “she cares about all of us, ya know. She didn’t want to hurt the team.” “Bah!” Medic flailed his arms and turned around. “And yet, she has managed to hurt someone.” “Listen ‘ere,” Sniper said, “You and oi know (y/n) would never hurt anyone on purpose. Now, stop being a princess and listen to me.” He turned towards Medic. “(y/n) told me she felt awful that she hurt you so, but she had to. (y/n) cares about all of us, not one of us. She sees us as a family and wants us to be a family. If you don’t see it that way, then you never cared in the first place about her or anyone else.” Medic gawked at him as Sniper returned to his work. “I do care about the frau,” he shouted, “vhy else vould I be here?” Sniper spoke in a quieter voice. “Well then, start acting like it. She’s already having problems as it is from the hardhat bloke and it’s making her stressed out. She was hurt from rejecting you, mate. The least you can do for her is show her that you’re still her friend, if that’s what you claim to be.” Medic said nothing else as he stared for a moment in thought. The room was silent once again with the sound of ceramics and thoughts of conflict and acceptance.

…

Engineer quickly opened his eyes as he saw the Spy right next to him. Without giving any thought, Engineer lunged at Spy as they started to tumble on the ground. People began to gasp as they started to brawl in the middle of the street. Spy kicked Engineer back as he got up and ran, pushing past people in the crowd. Engineer growled as he slowly got up and ran after him. The people stared for a few moments before they decided to continue their daily activities. Engineer chased after the thief as they were able to navigate through the crowd. As Engineer passed the people, he began to take notice of his surroundings. The people seemed to not mind his actions and continued with their day, which was unusual. What was more unusual was their clothing: they wore bright suits in many colors in intricate designs, one he has never seen before. Some of them wore strange-looking sunglasses and some wore strange things on their heads. Engineer was confused as he had never seen this design before, let alone he thought they were strange to wear something like that. He quickly looked around as his mouth dropped. The buildings he was used to seeing were regular concrete buildings and skyscrapers, but now they were replaced by glass structures that were thin and were made in many different designs. Some of these structures were bent to look like a helix while some reached higher than he could imagine as they seem to make bridges over highways. However, there was no highway, only a small glass bridge that acted as a highway as many flying cars passed overhead. He glanced around and realized where he was: the future. Engineer was shocked. He took a glance at his watch and stared at the year: 2050. “2050?!” He glanced around one more time, taking in the surroundings. “Wow, this is the future,” he thought. His eyes landed back on Spy, who was trying to go near the glass street. Engineer looked to see flying cars passing by until Spy managed to get into one that was parked with a person in it. The man in the car turned around to look at Spy. “Hey, get out of my car!” Spy quickly took out his revolver and aimed it at the man, who was taken aback by his action. “I would start the car if I were you if you want to keep your precious head,” he said in a threatening tone. The man wasted no time in starting the car as it began to hover above the ground. Engineer was almost there as he felt the car began to move. He quickly gave a huge leap as he went over the car and tackled the Spy as they landed in the back.

The car took off as they were moving along the glass bridge. Spy and Engineer battled in the back as the man continued to drive. Engineer quickly swung his fist, but Spy managed to block it and twist it, causing Engineer to yelp in pain. He placed a foot on his chest as Engineer fell and crashed into the backseat. The man who was driving the car immediately took to the skies and on another bridge, causing Spy to fall and roll out of the car with the Engineer following. The Spy quickly grabbed the seatbelt as Engineer managed to grab the Spy’s leg. They held on until the man was able to return to his normal position, traveling on the bridge. Spy began to try and kick Engineer until he bit his leg, causing Spy to scream. Engineer managed to grab the back of the car and hoist himself up as Spy dragged himself to the back again. “Get back here you son of a bitch,” Engineer yelled as him and Spy fought in the back. Spy kicked as Engineer ducked, causing Spy to kick the man instead. “Ow, watch it!” He yelled as he glanced back. The man paid no attention to the road as an oncoming car headed their direction. Engineer looked up and screamed, causing the man to turn and see the car only a few feet from them. Wasting no time, the man quickl steered the car, causing them to fly off the road and into the air. Engineer quickly grabbed the seat and felt his legs dangling off as Spy grabbed onto a seatbelt. Engineer glanced down and started screaming. He now realized how far from the ground they were as they passed a few skyscrapers as the man began to put the car back in line. Before Engineer could recover, a foot kicked him in the face, causing his head to turn. Spy laughed until Engineer quickly reached for his gun again, aiming it and shooting it off. The man jumped from the sound. Spy ducked as Engineer climbed into the car until Spy grabbed his arm with the gun. Engineer growled as him and Spy held in that position. “Oh cowboy, please. Are you that confident that you can defeat me?” Engineer glared at him. “Oh son, you have no idea.” Engineer brought his boot up and kicked Spy, causing him to roll on top of the trunk. Spy had half his body hung over the back as he glanced down. He could hear Engineer climbing up and coming near him. He looked down and saw that there were more flying cars below them. He smirked to himself as he pushed himself off the edge, falling as he embraced the wind. Engineer was taken aback as he watched the Spy disappear from his view. He quickly moved into the backseat and peered the side in search for the masked man. He glanced down and between the flying cars. “Aw damn, did he travel again?” He asked in horror as he failed to find the Spy.

Another flying car moved in the opposite direction as Spy laughed at him and waved goodbye. Engineer glared at him as he turned to the driver. “Son, ah’ need ya to turn around.” The man gave him a look before shrugging. “Alright then.” Engineer quickly held on as the man maneuvered the car, taking them below and giving a swift turn. “I’m only helping you because that jackass was about to kill me,” the man said. Engineer rolled his eyes. “Yeah, he does that to everyone.” Engineer watched as the car began to follow the flow of traffic, passing other cars in the meantime. Engineer looked through the cars, trying to find the Spy. However, it was hard to find where he was, leaving him dumbfounded. “No way, ah’ just saw him, didn’t ah’?” A shadow loomed over them as Engineer quickly looked up. There was another car just above them as it tried to crash on top of them. The man was quick to notice as he swerved to the right and dodged the impact. Engineer glanced up to see Spy driving the car on his own, laughing. Engineer quickly moved to the passenger seat. “Yeah, hang on,” the man said as he turned the wheel down as Spy trailed behind them in the other car. Engineer turned around and reloaded his gun again. “Damn it,” he said as he looked and saw he had three bullets left. The man continued driving. “What’s the matter?” “Ah’ only got three bullets left to put in that rat,” he said. The man sighed until they heard the sound of a bullet hitting the window of the car, causing them to duck their heads. Engineer looked back to see Spy with his arm out the window, aiming his revolver at them. “There should be a gun in the trunk,” the man said as he swerved the car again, going into a large crowd of cars. Engineer sighed as he put his gun away and began to climb to the backseat again. “If you’re gonna swerve son, please warn me beforehand,” Engineer said aloud. He continued to climb over the car until the man felt a bullet hit his small side mirror. “Shoot.” The action made his instincts swerve a bit to the right, causing Engineer to lose balance and fall off the car. However, his gloved hand grabbed onto the trunk as he dangled off the edge. Engineer quickly popped open the trunk with his free hand and climbed back up. He felt Spy take another shot at him as he crouched in the trunk. He looked down to find a gun with another machine in the back. “Huh?” Engineer looked closer to find a jetpack and some sort of futuristic gun. Engineer gave a smirk as he grabbed the gun and the jetpack, placing it on his back. “Now, this will do.” He flipped a switch on the side, causing the jetpack to roar to life.

“Yeehaw!” He yelled as he jumped from the back and felt the jetpack carrying him through the air. Spy gasped as he saw Engineer fly high into the air as he aimed his new gun at him. Engineer pulled the trigger as a laser appeared and shot at Spy. Spy immediately moved the car to the side as the laser hit the seat next to him. Spy growled as he aimed his gun again, but Engineer moved in front of another flying car that blocked the bullet. “Ah, merde,” Spy cursed. Engineer maneuvered his jetpack and headed towards Spy as he continued to shoot at him. Spy ducked as he dodged the lasers as the car steered off-course and started to fall towards the ground. Engineer followed as he flew over to him. Spy quickly looked back up to see the ground nearing as he pulled the wheel up, but the car hit the ground, sliding onto the street as people moved out of the way. He skidded to a halt and groaned as he hit his head on the wheel. Spy glanced and saw that Engineer was coming his way as he scrambled to get out of the car. He jumped out and ran around the car but stopped when he noticed the trunk popped open. Spy glanced inside and saw a jetpack. He quickly grabbed it and placed it on his back, activating the switch and taking off. Engineer changed his direction and watched as Spy began to fly towards the sky. Engineer growled as he chased after him, shooting with the laser gun. Spy turned his head and grabbed his revolver again, reloading his last bullets. Then, he aimed it back and shot at Engineer as the said man spun to the left, watching the bullet fly past him. However, another bullet made its way through the air and hit his left shoulder, causing him to hiss in pain as he glanced at his shoulder. The bullet dug itself into the flesh as warm blood started to soak into his clothes. He held his left arm as he used his right to shoot again. Spy dodged it as he headed towards the sky again as he began to play with his watch again. “Oh no you don’t,” Engineer said as he aimed the gun once more. He held his breath as he closed his eye, aiming, and pulling the trigger. The laser began to travel through the air, following Spy as it managed to penetrate the jetpack. Smoke started to pour out from the spot, the wires damaged as Spy felt himself slowly falling behind. “What the hell?!” He exclaimed as he realized he stopped flying. Then, he started to feel himself falling from the sky as Engineer immediately flew towards him. Spy started screaming all the way as he began to play with his watch. However, Engineer quickly shot him again, getting his left arm where the machine was. Spy hissed in pain as Engineer took his chance and landed on top of Spy as he reached for the time machine.

Suddenly, Spy grabbed his watch and hit the screen, starting to tug the wires out. Engineer gasped as Spy began to fight back. The time machine started to spark as Spy kept damaging it. “What the hell is wrong with you boy?!” Engineer yelled as he punched Spy, getting him to stop. But the damage was done as the time machine began to make a strange noise as the wires sparked more. Engineer quickly saw the time machine start to build a small light as sparks began to appear around them. “That can’t be good,” Engineer thought as Spy began to laugh. “Now none of you will come back home,” he said in a low voice. Engineer realized he had to get out of his range as he tried to leave with the jetpack. However, Spy wrapped his arm around his neck and kept him in his hold as they were consumed with light. “What the hell boy?!” Engineer gasped as he attempted to kick and punch Spy, who started to laugh like a maniac as the light surrounded them again. He looked down at his watch as his eyes widened. His time machine seemed to be reacting to the other one as the screen began to glitch as the light around them became bigger and bigger. “Damn it!” Engineer yelled as the two of them were consumed in the biggest light they have ever seen as it exploded and sent a wave around the sky. When it cleared, there was nothing else left of them or the time machines.

…

“What. The. Hell.” Those were the words (y/n) could say as she stared at the woman before her. The woman stared at her younger self as she sighed. “I could say the same thing,” she said. (y/n) placed a hand on her head. “No, there’s no way,” she said, “there’s no way you could be me.” “And yet, here I am.” The older woman took a slow step forward as (y/n) held her ground. The older woman sighed as she glanced out the window. “So, you’re the one responsible for this… mess.” (y/n) gave an unamused look. “Um, not exactly,” she said. “It was the Spy that did it, we were just trying to stop him.” “And yet,” said the older woman as she turned to look at her again, “here we are. Were you even aware of the rules of time?” (y/n) shook her head. “Of course not, we just built it—well, Engineer built it, but the important thing is that we had no idea of the rules.” The older woman glanced away as she clasped her hands behind her back. She started to slowly pace around the room as (y/n) stared at her, watching her every move. “And how many time machines has your friend built?” “Two time machines,” she said slowly. The older woman slowly nodded her head. “I see, so if you are here then why are there two people on my map?” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, I hate it when I have to explain stories from the beginning.” The older woman stifled a laugh, causing (y/n) to give a deadpanned look. “Is there something that I should be finding funny?” The older woman waved her hand. “No, I’m just getting a look at my personality.” (y/n) gave a small hum. Then, the woman gave her a serious look. “However, this little fun talk does not mean you are free from the consequences before you and your friend.” (y/n) felt herself taken aback at the small hostility in her voice. “Okay, okay,” (y/n) said with her hands up. The older one sighed. “So, how did three people get involved in this incident?” “Well,” (y/n) began, “my friend only built two time machines, but someone managed to steal it and I tried stopping them, but then I got trapped into time. So, as you see, we’re busy chasing him.” The older woman thought for a moment. “So, this friend,” she said, “he is the one responsible for building this time machine?” (y/n) gave her a questioning look. “No, my dog was responsible… of course he is, were you not listening to my story?” The older woman placed her hand up to silence her. “Oh wow, okay. I see you’re treating yourself like a dog,” (y/n) said in a sarcastic voice. The older woman immediately pulled out her gun, causing (y/n) to jump back. “Woah, what the hell is wrong with you?” “Listen here you pothead,” the older woman said, “we may be the same, but I am much more advanced than you are. This is serious business that we are dealing with and I do not need to hear anymore sarcasm from a little snot bitch.” (y/n) gaped at her. “Um, sorry if I am a ‘snot bitch’, you dick bag. Okay, I did not ask to be sucked into this mess.” “And yet, here you are,” the woman retorted. (y/n) glared at her. “You’re not helping!” The older woman rolled her eyes as she slowly lowered her weapon.

“Look,” she said, “I am trying to fix this timeline before we all get wiped out of existence. Your friend as we speak is making this timeline worse with whoever that other person is.” (y/n) thought for a moment before she realized something. “Wait a minute,” she said, grabbing her attention. “What is it?” (y/n) pointed a finger at her. “If you’re me, then shouldn’t you have the same memories as I do, shouldn’t you be remembering this moment, don’t you know who I’m talking about?” The older woman gave her a look. “Not exactly. You see, I come from a different timeline.” (y/n) gave her a blank look, causing the lady to sigh. “Okay, just because we are the same person, does not mean we have the same memories. You may be my past-self, but we may not harbor the same memories because I come from a completely different timeline.” “What, like as in a parallel universe or some shit?” The older woman thought about it for a moment. “I suppose you can call it that.” “But then,” (y/n) said, “if you are from a different timeline then if I died nothing would happen to you, right?” The older woman sighed. “Not exactly, you cannot kill the copies unless you kill the original.” (y/n) thought for a moment before she realized what she was saying. “So, I’m the original timeline, the original being?” The older woman slowly nodded. “Indeed. In these timelines, we have many copies dispersed through time. Lucky for you, you are the original one. So, when I traveled through time to sort the problem out, I realized that it was taking place in the original timeline, so I had to jump through different wormholes to get here.” (y/n) gave her a look of shock. “Then that means you come from a different universe?” The lady nodded. “Yes, it is similar but different to this.” (y/n) slowly grabbed the sofa behind her as she rubbed her head. “Wow.” “I know, right? I said the same thing when I began to grasp the concept of this,” the woman replied. (y/n) slowly nodded her head, unsure of what to say next. “Look,” the older woman said, “though you and your friend are trying to help stop this guy from doing anything else, you guys are doing more harm than good. You need to stop this before something bad happens.” (y/n) looked up at her. “Yeah, what do you think I’ve been doing this whole time? Had my friend not left me here instead of going after the guy, we would’ve stopped him a while ago.” The older woman thought for a moment before they heard a groan coming from behind them. They slowly turned around to see Leonardo getting up from his spot, rubbing his head. “Mamma mia,” he mumbled, “I cannot seem to recall what happened.” Then, he looked up and saw the two of them looking at him. “Oh,” he said, “now I remember.” Then, he fainted again and laid on the ground again.

(y/n) sighed as she turned to her older self. “Look, I understand that we broke the rules, though we didn’t know at first. But I need your help,” she said. “At this point, I’m tired and I just want to go back home. I didn’t even want to be in this mess, but somehow, I am. I just want to fix this whole thing without the universe having to rip to pieces and just get my friend back.” The older woman looked away for a moment. “Well, that is going to be hard for the both of us.” “What do you mean?” “Look, your friend still broke the rules of time. He needs to face the consequences-” “Oh, screw that!” (y/n) shouted. “He’s a good man and would never purposely break any rules. Look, if you take me to him then we can all go home, and I can destroy the time machines.” The lady gave her a mean look that caused (y/n) to shut up. She froze, thinking she said something wrong. “W-What?” “Never. Ever. Break a time machine,” she said in a stern voice. (y/n) looked around as she started to grow a bit nervous. “Um, why?” “Why, do I even have to explain why?” The older woman exclaimed. “Oh my god,” she said, “if you were to break a time machine just like that, you could cause something much worse than just a rip in time: you could cause a rip in multiple time lines and universes, or you could even get stuck in the realm!” “The… realm?” “Yes, the realm.” “Okay, what’s that?” The older woman groaned. “Great, now I have to go into detail.” (y/n) raised her hands in the air. “Hey, you said it not me.” She brushed (y/n) off. “Yes, I got it, geez.” She fixed her cloak before speaking again. “‘The realm’ is a place that exists within time and space. I guess you would say it is like a… dark corner of the two. It is a place where time and space… hmm… well, they do not physically exist. It is kind of like a blank space on a canvas. It is a neutral and absent place in the universe where nothing moves, yet nothing stops.” She stopped for a moment and saw (y/n) listening, causing her to continue. “Sometimes messing around with the time machine can cause people to get trapped in the realm and the worst part is that no one really gets out.” “So, you’re basically stuck there forever?” “Exactly. From what we know so far, you’re supposed to be stuck in a continuous and noncontinuous series of space and time, but we do not know what else goes on there since… you know… we never really been there.” (y/n) stopped her for a moment. “So, if you haven’t been there, how do you know what it is.” The older woman sighed. “(y/n), we have scientists and other smart minds like me that have been studying time and space for years on end. From what we found, there is a small space in the middle during time traveling that is vacant. We have had incidents where time travelers go missing after tampering with their own time machines. Therefore, it is safe to say that this is the most accurate piece of information that we know about where they go.”

(y/n) looked away as she turned to her thoughts. From what she can see, they may have been in much more danger than ever before. Engineer is probably busy dealing with Spy, but now he should be done by now or maybe the Spy is giving him a hard time. “Well, at least he doesn’t have to deal with his future self,” she thought as she gave a small glance at the woman in front of her. (y/n) slowly turned away as she tried putting a few things together. First off, she could not believe that there were more of her out there in different universes, but why was this woman the only one that came to look for them? She started to think as to why the other versions did not come to get her unless they were from different timelines. Since this one seemed to be from the future, maybe the other ones were from different times: Victorian, maybe another Renaissance era. Either way, she was not too sure about this one either. As it is, this woman wanted to get Engineer and terminate him no matter what. (y/n) looked at the woman again and slowly turned away. Now, (y/n) had to make sure that the time machines were back in clean condition or else they would experience even worse consequences. She started to feel the sick feeling in her gut return as she imagined what would happen if the time machines broke. Her conscious was quick to jump in to help her ease her anxiety. “ _That would never happen,”_ her conscious said, but (y/n) kept pestering with her doubt. “But it could happen. What if… it already did happen, and we would never even know?” _“Nonsense, Engineer is safe, and the time machines are safe. I doubt that could happen, that would be the worst possible outcome, after all.”_ (y/n) placed the possibility back into the corner of her mind as she turned her attention to something else: the realm. She was no science expert, but she can grasp certain concepts if it were explained to her correctly. From what she can gather, she started to wonder if ripping a hole through time could have something to do with it, which made her think of how much time they had before that happened. Engineer and Spy were already abusing time traveling, so they must have done the damage, but the important question was how much damage they have caused already. At this point, (y/n) knew she was wasting her time the more she stayed here.

She turned back to the older woman, who waited for her response. “Look,” (y/n) said slowly, “all I want to do is get my friend back. Can’t you just let us go? We won’t use the time machines ever again, isn’t there a way to get rid of it without causing more consequences?” The older (y/n) shook her head. “I am sorry, but I have to take your friend in for what he did.” “But what about me, why not take me in since I’m involved in this mess?” The older woman sighed as she slowly turned away. (y/n) stared at her, waiting for an answer. “What, is it because the sentence is death, like you said before?” The older woman said nothing else. “Oh, I see,” (y/n) said, “of course you wouldn’t want me to die, only him because you would be spared.” “If you let me capture him, I could spare your life-” “I don’t give a damn about my life, I won’t even have a life if you took him away!” (y/n) exclaimed, gritting her teeth. “He’s my friend… no… he’s my family! Does that not mean anything to you?” The older woman rubbed her head. “(y/n), you need to understand that I cannot let him go like this.” “The hell you can,” (y/n) said with her hands on her hips. “Come on, future me. Please, I said we just want to go home and forget this never happened.” “I cannot allow that to happen.” “Why not, why do you have to kill him?” The older woman turned her head. “God, you do not understand at all. I was assigned to fix this timeline and I just can’t leave this alone once this is done. I have to take someone in.” (y/n) groaned as she curled her hands into fists. “You’re not going to lay a hand on him,” she said as she glared at herself. The older woman slowly turned to look at her. “Oh, really, and what are you going to do about it?” (y/n) said in a low voice. “Like I said before: if you try, I can guarantee that you will be dead before you even get to him.” The older woman looked away. “I cannot believe you would want to defend this man after how much he has caused.” (y/n) paused for a moment. “Oh really, please do tell me what has happened.” The older woman turned around with a dark look on her face. “The wormholes and other entrances to the universes are already falling apart and the time and space continuum is already unstable. If he even continues this, then we’re all done for.” (y/n) paused. “Even if I want to help you, I cannot. I can’t just return with nothing or else I am done for,” she said in a low voice. (y/n) lowered her gaze as her hands faltered. Now she understood why the older woman could not return empty-handed. She saw that the woman before her was in as much trouble as she was. The older woman said nothing else as she turned away and glanced at the window again.

(y/n) looked to see that it was nighttime now. The stars started to twinkle again as the clouds floated around to decorate the beautiful night. The night sky was dark but beautiful to her as it started to remind her of home. Home. She realized that it has been a while since she had been in contact with the other members. (y/n) started to feel her chest hurt as she thought about her team. She was already stuck here, which she did not mind at first. But now that she thought about it, she started to realize how much she really missed them. She had been through a lot on her adventure; though it was fun, there were some parts that made her a little nervous. Not that she feared anything but like before these events were beyond her control. (y/n) finally spoke again. “Excuse me,” she said in a small voice. The lady slowly turned her head to the side, looking over his shoulder. “Yes?” (y/n) slowly walked towards her. “I… I understand why you need to bring justice or whatever you do. I know what it’s like to not finish the job,” she said, “but can you at least help me find my friend or get me out of here, please?” The older woman turned away for a moment before fully turning to face (y/n) again. “Of course, but in the end, I must take your friend back.” (y/n) hesitated for a moment before she slowly nodded. The older woman walked towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I am sorry that I have to do this, but I hope you understand from my perspective.” (y/n) slowly nodded her head as she lowered her head. “Yeah… I got it…” she said in a quiet voice. She turned away as felt her face heat up, but it was not from getting nervous. (y/n) started to feel her breath turn shallow as she started to feel herself tear up a little. She knew she was never going to see Engineer again after this, so the least she could do was see him again one last time. The older lady seemed to notice her distress as she stared at her hidden face. (y/n) did not want to show anything as she slowly turned away, but the woman quickly wrapped her arms around her, catching (y/n) off guard. The older woman gave her a tight hug as (y/n) slowly wrapped her arms around her torso. They embraced like that for a while before (y/n) felt a tear slowly drip down her cheek. She felt her nose start to clog as she sniffed, tightening her grip on the woman’s torso. The older woman said nothing else until she slowly pulled away from (y/n), looking at her with a small frown on her face. “I will help you find him; I will take you with me, but we need to be careful,” she said. (y/n) nodded her head in understanding, wiping the lonesome tear away. “Got it.” The older woman turned to her watch as she started to pull up the map again.

Her once concerned face changed as she went stoic, looking at the screen displayed on the hologram. (y/n) noticed this as she gave her a look. “What’s wrong?” The older woman said nothing as she continued to stare at the screen. Then, her face went pale as her mouth started to hang open. (y/n) started to feel the hairs on her neck stand as the lady said nothing. “What’s going on, what’s happening?” The older woman placed her hands on the pad and started to press a few buttons that caused the image to change to another map. She glanced around as (y/n) started to see the panicked look on her face. (y/n) started to feel anxious again. “Damn it, tell me what’s going on,” she said in a loud voice. The lady checked to make sure nothing was wrong before she turned to (y/n). “They’re gone.” (y/n) looked at her with a shocked look. “W-What?” “They’re gone, they’re not on the map anymore.” “That’s impossible,” (y/n) said as she looked at the map. The two dots that were blinking before were gone now as they looked at a blank map. “There’s no way they’re gone… what does that even mean?” The lady said nothing as she slowly looked at the image. “I… I don’t know…” she said, biting her lip. (y/n) saw her actions as she started to fear what she was going to say next. “I mean… they just… vanished.” “Vanished?” (y/n) said. Impossible, they could not have just vanished? “Let me see,” (y/n) said as the lady extended her arm out. (y/n) scanned the map, seeing if maybe the lady missed anything important. “This is not good,” she could hear her mutter under her breath. (y/n) turned to her. “You were tracking them from their time machines, right?” (y/n) asked. “Well yes, but now it’s like they don’t have a time machine anymore.” (y/n) thought for a moment. “Where was the last place they traveled?” The older woman tapped her panel again as another screen appeared. Wavelengths began to show up as the older lady glared at the screen. “It appears they traveled further in time to the future.” (y/n) fixed her clothes. “Well, let’s go. We need to find out what happened to them.” However, the older woman stopped her. “There’s something else that is happening as we speak.” (y/n) paused. “Well… what is it?” The older woman looked at the wavelengths again. (y/n) looked at her direction. The woman seemed to be eyeing the picture on the screen, but (y/n) could not understand what was wrong with it. The screen showed two lines that intertwined together as the vitals started to read them. “Something is wrong with this,” the lady muttered as she flipped through a few things. “What do you mean, I don’t see anything wrong with the picture,” (y/n) said. The lady looked up at her. “It is not a picture; it is a reading of the time and space continuum.” (y/n) raised her brow. “Okay… so… what is supposed to happen then?” The older lady paused as she thought for a moment before speaking again. “It means that the wavelengths are supposed to be moving, but they’re not anymore.” She froze as she heard this, wondering what that meant, though she knew that it did not inhabit any good news. The older woman looked through her panel and pulled up another image, but this one had a transcript in some language she could not recognize. There were strange symbols that appeared as the older woman scrolled through the screen. Though (y/n) could not understand the script, she could understand the older woman’s face. The woman’s face began to contort into somewhat fear as her lip began to tremble a bit and she began to shake. She had to take a deep breath to calm herself down and resume her normal composure, but she failed as she started to tremble again.

(y/n) stayed silent as the woman closed her eyes and took deep breaths, but (y/n) could not help but place a hand on the woman. “My god, tell me what’s going on, did something happen my friend, is he okay?” The older woman slowly shook her head as she looked away, her knees gave out. (y/n) quickly caught her arms and lowered herself to the ground until they were both sitting on the wooden floor. (y/n) was more anxious than anything now, for the woman never said anything to her yet. Though, she knew that things were getting worse for them the more they stayed here, and she wanted to know what was going on. She felt annoyed that she did not say anything, but she was also nervous about what she would say. (y/n) placed a hand on her back as the older woman began to sweat and grab her head with her hand, taking shallow breaths. “Calm down, please calm down,” (y/n) said. The older woman tried to calm herself down as she shut off the panel and leaned back into (y/n)’s hand. She heard movement from the other side as she looked up and saw Leonardo slowly getting up. He placed a hand on his head as he balanced himself. “Oh my…” “Get me a wet towel,” (y/n) said, causing Leonardo to jump. He took notice of the distressed woman. “Oh my, what has happened?” “Just get me a towel damn it!” (y/n) yelled, causing him to rush out of the room and go down the stairs, the sound ceased the farther he went. (y/n) turned her attention towards the woman as she saw her close her eyes and hold a hand to her mouth, almost like she was about to throw up. (y/n) quickly looked around the room and spotted an empty paint bucket lying around. She quickly got up and ran to get it as she grabbed it and ran back to the woman, who immediately looked up and saw her with the bucket. She snatched it so fast that (y/n) could not comprehend what happened until she heard a heave as the lady threw up into the bucket, gripping the sides until her knuckles turned white. (y/n) looked to the side as she gave the woman some privacy until the vomiting ceased. She placed the bucket at the side as she slowly coughed, clearing her throat. (y/n) leaned down again to calm her down as she placed the older woman against her chest, patting her head softly. (y/n) felt her chest tightened as the lady said nothing yet. Whatever showed on the screen, whatever the transcript said, she knew that judging by the reaction it was worse than she thought. She started to imagine that the worst had happened that made Engineer disappear. Hell, she could care less about Spy. She felt her stomach squeeze itself as she waited for the older woman to recover until she could speak again. (y/n) started to think that whatever happened, Engineer was most likely in trouble. She started to worry about what had happened to him during their destination. Surely, there must have been some reason he disappeared. “God, I wish Engineer took me with him, then he wouldn’t be in so much trouble,” she thought.

The older woman finally recovered as her breathing became steady; however, her eyes were still closed. (y/n) slowly rubbed circles on her back as the older woman looked at peace for a moment. She slowly opened her eyes as she glanced up at (y/n). (y/n) said nothing, not wanting to set her off or anything. She noticed that the woman looked exhausted from vomiting as small tears strained out of her eyes. (y/n) felt a little sorry for this woman, but she was also hesitant because she still kept in mind that the woman was going to go after Engineer… well, if they were able to find him again on the map. “So…” (y/n) said in a quiet voice with caution. “S-Something… happened…” the lady said slowly. (y/n) froze as she heard the emotion in her voice. The lady seemed hesitant to tell her what had happened as she waited for her response. “I know they’re no longer on the map anymore,” (y/n) said, “but why? Please, I need you to tell me where my friend went.” “Your friend is the least of our problems,” the lady snapped. (y/n) was taken aback as she took her hand off the lady’s back. The lady paid no attention to her attitude as she continued. “Right now, your friend just did something that is already putting us all at risk.” (y/n)’s eyes widen at this as she felt her heart start to race. “What does she mean by that?” (y/n) thought as she stared at the woman. The older woman stared at her, her face hardening as she waited for (y/n) to say something, but the girl stayed silent. She took it as her cue to continue speaking. “Your friend may have just screwed this whole timeline for us all. Now, things are going to go berserk from this!” “W-What do you mean?” The older woman stared at her. “I mean that part of our timeline…” She paused for a moment as (y/n) waited for her. She slowly turned away and sighed, rubbing her head again. “What about our timeline? Damn it, stop leaving me on a cliffhanger and tell me!” After that, the woman turned around and spoke as the words that (y/n) heard caused her heart to stop: “Part of the timeline is gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, just wanted to say that I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will say that I took a break for a few days after completing this one because I got a bit stuck, but now I'm preparing the other chapters for you guys. Like before, these chapters take a while to make due to the line of the plot. But, I would like some feedback as to what you think so far, words of encouragement you know. Anyway, I think I might post two chapters for you guys next time as a thanks for your support. I think after this story is over, I might cover some one-shots, but until then, enjoy this story so far and if you do have any ideas or requests for the one-shots, just comment below in this chapter so I can have some considerations for ahead of time.


	12. Despair and Disappearance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to go downhill for (y/n) as her older self tells her what is going on. However, (y/n) must face the truth as things start to fall apart for the two of them. Will (y/n) manage to save them all from the destruction to come?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, my god this is such a long chapter. Sorry that this one took a long time, since I had to cover a lot of plot. I decided to post one chapter because it was so long that I think the other chapter will be just as much. I don't want to keep anyone waiting so I present to you this masterpiece :)

To think there was a time where people believed the Earth was flat, to think that they could one day sail farther and farther until they fell off the map and into the unknown. Now, we know better and follow the belief that the world is round and that we are the ones who revolve around the sun. We are believed that the solar systems are decorated with stars that shine bright in the sky, while some are stars that are planets like Venus that peer down upon us in its own observatory state. However, all that came crashing down onto (y/n) as she stared at the woman, like she was looking at her with a dazed look. But (y/n) was not consciously aware of the woman as she dug a deeper hole into her mind. Normally, she could handle a horrible situation, but this was not just a horrible situation: it was an unstoppable situation to the point that (y/n) started to feel the taste of bile and blood from her mouth as she started to bite the inside of her cheek too much to prevent her from throwing up for the second time in front of anyone. (y/n) felt herself go into a trance-like state as she heard the words echo through her mind. She knew that they messed up, she knew that meant that the timeline was done for, she knew that they and the rest of the people here were in trouble as well. At this point, (y/n) felt more than lost. She started to believe that this all could have been a dream, but she knew that this was all real… too real. (y/n) wanted to think that it was not possible, that the timeline was still intact and that Engineer was going to come up any second now from wherever he was, but part of her mind told her that reality was still a thing and that Engineer was not coming back anytime soon. The woman stared back at (y/n) as she waited for her to say anything, but she noticed that the young woman did not say anything else but just stare back, unblinking. The woman began to wonder what was going on in her head, whether she was trying to register her words or not, though she knew that the girl was not that stupid to know what was going to happen. (y/n) paid no attention as she soaked herself into the news, feeling the taste of copper in her mouth for the excessive bone and soft and tender flesh from her cheek as she started to feel herself tremble. The question that formed in her mind was that of fear. She had a feeling that she could already answer the question herself, but she was also doubtful about it. “What part of the timeline is gone?” She asked herself slowly over and over as she soaked in the details, but she felt that she knew which timeline was gone. Fear started to invade her mind once more as she thought about how much the damage was going to cause. Then, her eyes widen as she realized something else. “What if we’re part of the timeline that’s gone?”

She quickly came to her senses as she hissed, feeling the pain from the cut in her cheek. She slowly let go, feeling her senses come back as she tasted the tangy copper in her mouth, swallowing it back down and rubbing the outside of her cheek. For now, she managed to keep her contents in its place as she turned her attention to the woman, who waited in front of her for any questions or responses. In a way, (y/n) was afraid to ask, but then again, she knew that if she did not, they would never know until they tried. “So,” she began in a quivering voice, “if part of the timeline is gone, may I ask… which part?” The woman said nothing as she processed the question and immediately pulled her panel back up, swiping at the screen and analyzing the charts and numbers. The woman was back to her original composure, but now she seemed to slowly return to her panicked state as her eyes twitched the more she read through the information. (y/n) felt her stomach clench as she placed her hands and softly rubbed the area, trying to remain professional and not embarrass herself. She could hear footsteps coming up from the stairs as she averted her gaze to the doorway. Leonardo arrived with another glass of water and a few rags on a tray as he puffed and wiped the sweat on his forehead. “Forgive me, signorina,” he said as he slowly gasped for breath, as if he rushed all the way up here. He quickly walked over and placed down the rags, bringing the glass of water over to the frantic woman as she started to log in a few things to her watch. Leonardo cleared his throat as the woman looked up at him. “For you, my dear,” he said. The woman wasted no time as she snatched the drink from his hand and brought it to her lips, chugging the water down nonstop until she had every last drop, leaving nothing but emptiness as she brought it away from her lips and handed it back to Leonardo, who was surprised at her sudden reaction. “What seems to be the problem?” He asks, but the woman does not give him a response, so he turns to (y/n) who notices his question. She started to think that it would be better not to tell him since he might faint again. “Something… bad…” she said with hesitation. Leonardo gave a small gasp as he clutched at his hat. “Oh no, did something happen to your friend?” (y/n) glanced away as she fiddled with her fingers again, trying not to think of what happened to Engineer again. “Sort of…” she said in a quiet voice. Leonardo felt the atmosphere around her as he could feel the anguish and pain from her. “Oh, I am sorry signorina,” he said in a sympathetic voice. (y/n) turned her head away as she waited for the woman’s reply. She waited until the woman froze as her fingers stopped scrolling through. “Oh no,” she said in a low voice, but (y/n) was able to pick it up. She felt herself freeze in the middle as the woman’s fingers begin to shake, slowly moving away from the screen. She averted her gaze from the screen and quickly ran to the window as (y/n) turned around to follow her movements. Leonardo stood in question as he ran to follow the woman. “What is wrong, is there something going on?” He asked, but the woman paid no attention. She pressed her fingers to the window as she listened quietly. (y/n) had a feeling in her chest that something was happening as she clenched her fists in anticipation, craning her neck as she stared out the window from a distance. She was trying to see what the woman was looking at as she squinted her eyes. It was still dark outside save for the stars and the small moon that gave some illumination.

Then, something caught (y/n)’s attention. She could make out something happening in the distance as she slowly walked closer to the window, standing behind the lady, who appeared to be staring the at thing going on. (y/n) could not make out the rest, but she could see that there was something appearing over the hills of Italy. From her perspective, a black object was forming above the hills. (y/n) looked closer and realized that the woman was staring at it too. “What… is that?” (y/n) asked. The woman said nothing as she slowly took a step back and turned around to face (y/n). “We need to get out of here.” (y/n) looked at her with a questioning look. “W-What?” Leonardo quickly ran to the window to look outside. “What is the meaning of this?” (y/n) knew he was staring at the black sphere that was forming, but (y/n) noticed something about it. “It looks… bigger than before,” she thought. She could have sworn that the hole was much smaller before she looked at the woman in questioning. The woman growled as she started punching in a few things into her panel. “No, we need to leave! Now!” (y/n) looked at her over her shoulder as Leonardo started to question to her. “Signorina, what is going on?! Something is happening outside!” As soon as (y/n) heard him, she quickly looked out and gasped. The hole that formed seemed to have a dark center in the middle as it began to pixelate the landscape before them. (y/n) gasped as she recognized the object as some sort of black hole forming in the distance as it continued to grow larger, consuming more of the landscape before it. The abyss showed nothing as the trees and the sky were sucked into it, showing no mercy to any creature or human in its sight. (y/n) quickly backed away from the window as she turned to the woman again. Leonardo started screaming as he ran to the woman. “Mio Dio, we are doomed! What are we going to do?!” The woman ignored him as she looked up at (y/n). “Come on, we’re leaving,” she said. (y/n) gave an exasperated look. “All of us? But the time machine can’t hold three people!” “I know, that’s why I’m only bringing you with me.” Leonardo gave her a shocked look as he stared at her. “What about me?! I don’t want to die!” The woman gave Leonardo a slight apologetic look. “As much as I would love to help you my friend, I cannot. I must bring (y/n) with me to my timeline. If they see me with you, they will most likely kill you.” Leonardo started to cry. “So, I am still going to die!” He started to bury his face in his hands as the woman placed a soft hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up. “It will be okay, Leonardo. We will find some way to bring back the timeline.” This caused him to sniff as (y/n) noticed the hole growing bigger the more it continued to feed on their world. “Y-You will?” He said in between sniffles. The woman gave a soft smile and nodded her head. “Do not worry, we will figure something out.” Leonardo cried out as he gave the woman a tight hug as she wrapped her arms around him.

Then, something caught (y/n)’s attention. She could make out something happening in the distance as she slowly walked closer to the window, standing behind the lady, who appeared to be staring the at thing going on. (y/n) could not make out the rest, but she could see that there was something appearing over the hills of Italy. From her perspective, a black object was forming above the hills. (y/n) looked closer and realized that the woman was staring at it too. “What… is that?” (y/n) asked. The woman said nothing as she slowly took a step back and turned around to face (y/n). “We need to get out of here.” (y/n) looked at her with a questioning look. “W-What?” Leonardo quickly ran to the window to look outside. “What is the meaning of this?” (y/n) knew he was staring at the black sphere that was forming, but (y/n) noticed something about it. “It looks… bigger than before,” she thought. She could have sworn that the hole was much smaller before she looked at the woman in questioning. The woman growled as she started punching in a few things into her panel. “No, we need to leave! Now!” (y/n) looked at her over her shoulder as Leonardo started to question to her. “Signorina, what is going on?! Something is happening outside!” As soon as (y/n) heard him, she quickly looked out and gasped. The hole that formed seemed to have a dark center in the middle as it began to pixelate the landscape before them. (y/n) gasped as she recognized the object as some sort of black hole forming in the distance as it continued to grow larger, consuming more of the landscape before it. The abyss showed nothing as the trees and the sky were sucked into it, showing no mercy to any creature or human in its sight. (y/n) quickly backed away from the window as she turned to the woman again. Leonardo started screaming as he ran to the woman. “Mio Dio, we are doomed! What are we going to do?!” The woman ignored him as she looked up at (y/n). “Come on, we’re leaving,” she said. (y/n) gave an exasperated look. “All of us? But the time machine can’t hold three people!” “I know, that’s why I’m only bringing you with me.” Leonardo gave her a shocked look as he stared at her. “What about me?! I don’t want to die!” The woman gave Leonardo a slight apologetic look. “As much as I would love to help you my friend, I cannot. I must bring (y/n) with me to my timeline. If they see me with you, they will most likely kill you.” Leonardo started to cry. “So, I am still going to die!” He started to bury his face in his hands as the woman placed a soft hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up. “It will be okay, Leonardo. We will find some way to bring back the timeline.” This caused him to sniff as (y/n) noticed the hole growing bigger the more it continued to feed on their world. “Y-You will?” He said in between sniffles. The woman gave a soft smile and nodded her head. “Do not worry, we will figure something out.” Leonardo cried out as he gave the woman a tight hug as she wrapped her arms around him.

(y/n) ran to the woman. “Yeah, nice reunion but now it’s coming closer to us!” The three of them looked up to see the black hole near them as the buildings from the town began to disappear as the sound of people screaming reached their ears, causing (y/n) to shrink at the noise as she wondered about the innocent people disappearing one by one. Leonardo placed his hands on the woman’s cheeks and kissed each side. “Signorina, I will be waiting for you to bring us back,” he said, but the woman gave a pained expression. “I will try,” she said in a slow voice, but Leonardo gave a sad smile in return. “Now, go.” He ushered the woman to get next to (y/n) as she hooked her arm around (y/n). “We must go,” she said as (y/n) looked at Leonardo. “I’m sorry,” she said in a sad voice. “It was nice knowing you, Leonardo.” Leonardo gave her a pained look as he waved at her. (y/n) felt her heart tighten at the sight of their fate as the woman pressed a button on the panel. “Let’s go.” (y/n) could feel the ground shake as the hole got closer to them. A blue light swirled around the two as (y/n) started to see flashing specks of light appear around them until they were slowly consumed by it. The woman held on tighter to (y/n) as they felt themselves levitating from the ground, being consumed by more light and other feelings as Leonardo waved them goodbye one last time. (y/n) closed her eyes shut as she swallowed her worries down as she felt herself leaving the room as her and the woman were taken from the destruction and the fate of the world. Leonardo closed his eyes the moment they were gone in a flash. He uncovered his face to see there was nothing left but a small burnt spot as his entire room began to shake. Leonardo sighed as he saw the black hole next to his house, feeling the objects slowly pull away. Leonardo began to feel a tingling sensation in his body as he looked down. He saw his body turn into tiny squares that traveled and faded away as it began to move up his body. Leonardo closed his eyes and gave a soft smile as he felt his hands disappear, then his arms… his chest… and finally altogether as his house began to fall victim to the unstoppable force that caused the entire town to disappear once again, consuming the world until there was nothing left but a black and cold abyss.

…

(y/n) slowly opened her eyes as she slowly rubbed them, feeling the aftermath from the intensity of the light. She could feel the woman’s tight grip on her arm as she silently hissed in pain. “Yep, that’s definitely going to leave a mark,” she thought as she blinked for a moment. Her eyes adjusted as she slowly looked around her. (y/n) noticed that they were in a different wormhole from that of Engineer’s. The tunnel was decorated with lines that had different lights traveling through it as they traveled towards the direction the two were in. (y/n) looked down to see the two of them floating above the floor of the tunnel at a moderate pace near the destination. (y/n) turned her head to see the woman staring straight ahead, saying nothing as they continued down the tunnel. (y/n) slowly turned away from the woman until she spoke up. “You have something to say to me?” (y/n) was taken aback by the response as she looked back and noticed the woman’s eyes on her own. “Um…” she said, “well…” (y/n) thought back to her question that remained unanswered. She could assume that part of the timeline that was disappearing was part of the Renaissance, but she still had no idea how far it was going to go. “I mean… you didn’t really answer my question…” she said in a slow voice. She could feel the woman grip her arm tighter as (y/n) could not take it and grabbed the top of her hand. “Ow, ow, ow!” (y/n) exclaimed, holding her arm. “Damn woman, you’re going to cut off my circulation!” The woman turned to her with an angered and upset look on her face. “Are you really focused on that instead of what is going on here?!” (y/n) felt annoyed at her statement. “Oh of course not,” she said with bitter sarcasm, “I was focused on how I was going to paint like Pablo Picasso. Of course, you idiot, but I need to know how much of our timeline we’re losing, or how much this thing is going to eat!” The woman gave a sigh of annoyance as she rubbed her head. “(y/n), I do not understand how you could be my original.” (y/n) slowly looked at her and placed a hand on her hip. “Oh, I’m sorry that I’m concerned about my own timeline since I’m the one who lives in it. I’m sorry that you can’t understand the shit I’ve been going through this whole damn time!” (y/n) said the last few words in a screaming voice as the woman recoiled her head to the side. “Jesus Christ!” She exclaimed as she covered her ear with one hand. (y/n) sighed. “Look, I don’t know if you have them or not, but I have family in my era. I need to know how much of this is gone, I need to make sure that they will be safe from this whole thing.” The woman went silent as she gazed at the tunnel ahead of them. (y/n) waited for a response but felt dread and anticipation in her chest as she noticed the woman turned her attention forward again. “Please, I need to know what will happen to them. They’re all I have left in that timeline, in this world.” The woman was in thought for a moment as she went over what she saw on her screen. She really started to panic the moment she found out that part of the timeline being gone was the least of their problems. At first, it was supposed to be part of the timeline that would only consume the older eras, but the more she read her data she started to realize that there was more to it. The woman recognized that whatever the man did, he managed to rupture the balance between space and time and cause a black hole in the process. At that moment she knew that this timeline was doomed and that there was no way of rescuing it. Of course, it was hard for her to keep a straight face and lie to Leonardo, saying that she was going to try to fix it. But in the end, there was no way in reversing the effects. Soon, the timeline will be consumed by the rupture and the entire universe until there is nothing left. She did feel some guilt in not telling Leonardo that, but the least she could do was give him closure before he met his end so he would not panic and fear the death before him. Now, she started to wonder if it may have been a bad idea to lie to him like that. The woman sighed as she looked at (y/n) again. Now, she wondered if she should lie to her and spare her from the situation or tell her everything that was going to happen. The last thing she wants is for her original to die of a heart attack or something.

(y/n) stared her down as she waited for her response, but the woman felt her tongue tie itself into a knot. She did not know what to say, or where to begin if she was going to tell the truth. “Lady, I need you to tell me what is going on, please. I don’t even know if we can even fix this mess,” (y/n) said. She could hear her voice tremble a bit. The lady stared at her and noticed that her eyes were becoming glossy by the second. “I’m sick and tired of people hiding things from me, that’s all that ever happened before I was dragged into this mess. I want to help, and I want to protect my family, I want to know what else is going to happen so I can understand. Look, I’m sorry if you think I’m stupid or something, but I need you to tell me, so I know what to do.” The woman felt her expression falter as (y/n) began to shake a bit in her grasp. The woman sighed once more. “Alright,” she said in a monotone voice. “You cannot panic when I tell you everything,” she said as she pointed a finger at (y/n). (y/n) went quiet as she controlled her shallow breathing. “O-Okay,” she said in a small voice. The lady seemed satisfied as she continued to talk. “At first, the phenomenon started out as part of our timeline fading out. I will admit, I was a bit concerned at first until I realized that it was taking place in the future. However, when you asked, I wanted to make sure that it was not affecting anywhere else. When I pulled up the information on the time tunnels and the eras, I noticed that…” she inhaled for a moment and closed her eyes, getting herself together. (y/n) listened carefully with worry in her eyes as she waited until the woman exhaled and spoke again. “I… I noticed that there were a few unstable wavelengths showing up in different eras of your timeline the more I scrolled through. I started to realize that the abnormal wavelengths were being more distorted and out of place than ever before. This caused a disruption in different places in the timeline and became a black hole like the one you saw before.” (y/n) shrunk back as she continued to talk, gazing down at the tunnel floor. “Is there really a way to stop this?” (y/n) asked, but she figured she knew the answer. “I am afraid there is not other way in stopping this,” she said. “Once the rupture has happened, there is no way in fixing the timeline. Once the hole starts it cannot stop and the entire timeline will be consumed one by one.” This caused (y/n) to freeze, feeling her hair shoot up. Dread started to tug at her heart as she looked at the woman. “No, you’re serious, aren’t you?” The woman gave an unamused look. “Why would I be fooling around at a time like this, (y/n)?” (y/n) shook her head as she grabbed the woman’s arm. “No, there’s no way that black hole can consume the entire timeline.” The woman gave her a softer look. “I… am sorry, but soon that hole will continue to grow the more it feasts upon the timeline until there is nothing left of it.” (y/n) felt her heart stop as sweat and panic set in her mind. “No, you don’t understand, my team is in that timeline, they’re in danger!” The woman closed her eyes and glanced away, refusing to look into her eyes. “I… I know…” (y/n) gave her an exasperated look as she turned her head back to the opposite end. “We need to save them, we have to.” The woman gave her a look. “We cannot save them (y/n),” she said. (y/n) felt her face scrunch up as anger began to set in. “And why not, because you don’t want to? You didn’t seem to care about Leonardo, hell, you knew that there was no way in reversing the effects! You lied straight to his face, you lied and told him that you could save him! What kind of friend does that to another?” The woman clenched her fist as she closed her eyes. “Look, I said it so he could not fear death. Was there any other way? It was either him or you.” “You only chose to take me because I’m your original copy!” The woman growled in irritation. “Are you going to criticize me for my choices along the way?” (y/n) grit her teeth. “You lied to your friend; you should’ve said the truth to him if you cared about him that much.” The woman turned to her and gave (y/n) a dark look. “You know nothing. I do care about my friend, but right now I had to lie to him and take you. If you truly want to do something about this, then it would be best that you stay alive than anyone else.” (y/n) glared at her as she said nothing else and turned to the side.

The woman’s grip on her arm turned it red and bruised as (y/n) did not bother to tell her that it was too tight. At this point, she was used to it. (y/n) was furious with this woman for not attempting to save her family. “I’m ashamed that you’re my copy,” she said, refusing to look at the woman. “You will thank me later for saving you,” the woman replied. “You are just as bad as any villain I’ve seen. You won’t even save the only family I have left.” The woman paused as she gave a small glance to (y/n) as she felt the heat radiating off the girl. She could hear the anguish hidden in her anger. The woman softened a little as she noticed her grip on the girl, loosening it a bit to give her relief, but (y/n) said nothing else. “I wish I could save them,” the woman said slowly, “but if we do, then we will disappear as well. I can only time travel so much right now with what is happening right now. If we were to travel anymore, then we will fracture more of space and time and suffer the same fate as everyone else right now.” (y/n) stayed silent as she hid her face from the woman. The woman heard the silence as she turned her head towards the girl, watching her hair frame her face from her. The woman took the chance to get a good look at her original. She studied her clothing to see the red top she wore and the shorts. She took notice that the girl dressed like her timeline from the 1960s. To anyone, she looked like any normal girl, but she could feel a sense of… power in her. Yes, the woman could sense that her original had a strong mind and spirit in her, a rebellious nature and a tough shell around her, but now she could tell that after what was happening, her shell was collapsing at the thought of her losing everything she held dear to her. She could not have imagined what the girl was going through now, what was going on in her head. She could not understand her because she still had her family and her timeline, unlike her original who was suffering through the entire process as she watched her home become nothing but pixels. In a way, she pitied the girl, though she would not want to admit that; she had a feeling she would scowl at her and push her away. Her hearing picked up the sound of heavy breathing as she noticed (y/n). The girl was heaving her chest as she immediately pulled her arm away from the woman’s grip. “I should’ve stayed there had I known my family was going away, then I could meet them on the other side. I hate how people like you have to live, you fuck,” (y/n) hissed. The woman felt offended at her comment as she glared at (y/n). Just because she felt sorry did not mean she was going to be insulted along the way for doing her job. “Listen here, missy. I refuse to put up with your insults. This is my timeline and my rules, and you are going to live whether you like it or not because I have things to do to set things back to normal for the best-”

It happened so fast, it happened in a blink of an eye. No one would have time to even dodge just a thing as a large and swift feeling clashed along the woman’s face, causing her head to jerk to the side. She felt the feeling of a fist form onto her cheek as she felt it roll over her nose, hearing the sick thing cracking along her ears. (y/n) let out a growl as she landed a perfect punch on the woman’s face, her eyes raging with anger. She recoiled her fist as the woman froze in place, her head tilting to the side as she processed what had happened. (y/n) rapidly breathed as her face turned red from the rage building up within her chest. “Yeah right, you’re only setting things back to normal for yourself!” The woman stared at the side as she licked her lips. She felt the pain spreading from her nose to her face, but she paid no attention to it, not even to the taste of copper that flowed from her nose, gathering at her lip before dripping down from her chin and landing on her cloak, staining it red like roses. Then, she slowly turned her head, staring at (y/n) with a blank look on her face. (y/n) paid no attention as she glared at the woman with such rage in her eyes that she could pierce into her soul, but the woman did not mind. The woman slowly licked her lips as she gathered the rest of the blood that was on top of her lip as it slowly retreated, tasting the blood that was now in her mouth. She slowly nodded her head as she held her gaze at (y/n), who stood there waiting for her. “I see,” the woman said. (y/n) tensed up as she readied for whatever the woman was waiting for, placing a hand on her left side near her hip. “Such rebellious nature,” the woman continued with a slur, “well, if that is the case, then I am afraid I will have to resort to violence as well.” The lady reached into the side of her cloak for her gun, but her blank look turned into confusion as she grasped the air. It was strange, she could have sworn she placed the gun back in her cloak. “Looking for this?” The voice said as the woman looked up and saw the metal pointed at her. (y/n) aimed the gun straight at her forehead as she gave an evil smirk. The woman slowly closed her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry, did you think I was that stupid?” (y/n) sneered as she placed her hand on the trigger. The woman gave a small dry chuckle. “I’m not catching your bluff; you don’t even know how to use that gun.” (y/n) gave her an unamused look before she turned it slightly and shot as a laser flew past the woman as she somewhat flinched as it hit the side of the tunnel, dissolving into the wall. “Oh, by the way,” (y/n) said, “that is your only warning shot.” The woman’s face faltered as she realized that (y/n) was being serious. “Now, you’re going to take us to your place and go back with me to get my family,” she said. The woman sighed as she raised her hands again. “Now, try to be the reasonable one-” “Oh, shut the hell up!” (y/n) aimed the gun again as the woman flinched, trying to keep a straight face as they continued floating towards their destination. “I’ve been the reasonable one in keeping you alive and listening to your ass for the past hour! I think it’s time that you listen to me here, you punk. We’re going back to get my team even if it’s the last thing I do.” The woman stared at her eyes as she continued staring at her, seeing if she would falter, to see her weakness. However, (y/n) just smirked at her tactic and placed her finger on the trigger again. “That isn’t going to work on me, honey,” she said. “You aren’t the first person I have shot, and you certainly aren’t the last.” The woman stared at (y/n) for a few seconds before she gave a defeated sigh.

(y/n) stared her down as the woman slowly lowered her hands down. (y/n) eyed her closely, careful and looking out for any moves she was about to pull. “Look,” the woman spoke in a soft voice, ignoring the blood running down her nose. “I know that you are stressed out enough and I am sorry that this is happening to you. Believe me, I want to help your team or family, but I cannot for certain reasons.” (y/n) growled as she lifted the gun higher. “You liar,” she said, “you’re taking me to your timeline right now.” The woman sighed as she closed her eyes for a moment before slowly opening them. “I believe showing you would be better,” she said in a low voice. She slowly brought her arm with the panel up, staring at (y/n). (y/n) gave her a suspicious look before she cocked her gun, allowing her to play with the panel. The woman turned down and started to tap a few buttons on the screen. Then, the tunnel around them began to dissolve as the color started to fade from their eyes to expose a glass-like tube. (y/n) turned her attention to the scenery behind her as her face dropped. She remembered the tunnels that glowed brightly within the backgrounds as she held against Engineer, tightening her hold around his arm as she gazed out at the tunnel as they made their way to Italy. She remembered being captured by the sleek tunnels and the beauty of time as she watched them glow with such optimistic colors. However, she was faced with nothing but total darkness. (y/n) glanced around as she felt her mouth drop, her eyes widen at the darkness surrounding them. It reminded her of space, except it lacked the beauty of the stars and the solar system that was filled with planets and the twinkling gases from the galaxies surrounding it, filling the canvas with colors. All she could feel was the coldness and apathy from the abyss among them as she glanced around, feeling nervous. The gun began to shake as she looked down and noticed her hand shaking. She immediately placed her finger off the trigger as the woman eyed the gun, sighing in relief as (y/n) allowed her to live. “W-What is this…” (y/n) asked in a nervous voice. The abyss was giving her an odd feeling of… emptiness. She felt cold as she began to shiver at how dark it was. She squinted to see anything else, but there was nothing left except the dark. _Darkness._ It reminded her of the one place that was like this when she was younger, and now it came back to bite her as her mouth began to quiver. (y/n) noticed her actions as she took a deep breath and pursed her lips together, holding the gun tight in her hands. The woman waited until (y/n) was composed again before she spoke. “This is what is left of your world,” she said in a monotone voice. (y/n) glanced around, almost frantically as she looked around. “What… no way…” She did not realize she said that until she finished her sentence. She stared at the woman and back at the dark abyss. “B-But, where are the tunnels, the other wormholes?” The woman answered quite well. “They do not exist anymore. Because your timeline is fading away ever so slowly, there is no need to travel here. This timeline does not exist anymore, so there is no need to travel here. There is nothing left of this but darkness, a darkness where time ceases to exist anymore. (y/n) felt her world start to crash again, her hands trembling as she felt her arm lower itself towards the ground. “N-No…” (y/n) felt herself shaking as the woman stared at her. “No, that can’t be… it can’t be…” she started to feel her vision cloud as she felt her grip loosen on the gun until it fell from her hands as it floated above the ground. The woman slowly lowered herself as she leaned forward and swooped up the gun.

The woman slowly grabbed the stunned girl as she placed her in front of her, putting the gun against her back. “I am sorry,” the woman said as (y/n) said nothing, hanging her head as the light begin to appear. The woman looked up to see the tunnel before then begin to produce bright lights of blue and white. “We are here.” (y/n) slowly closed her eyes, feeling salty drops of sadness slowly run down her face as she felt the light consume them again. The woman blinked and said nothing else as she allowed the light to consume her as well as they ventured on to the next timeline. (y/n)’s thoughts swirled around her head as she sunk herself into a deep hole that burned through her skull. She felt hopeless, stripped away of the only thing that kept her going. She felt trapped now in a world that had no more meaning. Now, she was on her way into another timeline, probably to be kept alive forever in a prison until she died, or her copy had no other use for her. She wished that she stayed behind with her family, who was going to die while she had the privilege to live to see another day. She wondered in fear how they would begin to panic, frantically wondering why this was happening while (y/n) was floating away into another world safe and sound. She wondered why things were going downhill rather than the way they were supposed to be. It seemed to be her own personal hell rather than heaven; but then again, any other person would probably sacrifice everything they had to be in her position, to be alive and having another chance to live and start over again. And yet this was not what (y/n) wanted as she felt the tip of the gun against her back. Oh, how she wanted to get out of here to see her friends once more before they all disappeared. At least she would have some closure in her mind rather than suffer from guilt and sorrow for the days to come. She felt herself floating for a while until her feet softly planted the ground, feeling the hard yet smooth surface underneath her. (y/n) slowly opened her eyes as she felt the salty tears dry into her skin as she was met with the biggest lab she had ever seen. There were multiple screens filled with technology she had never seen before. There were people dressed in some sort of lab coat that was covered in intricate and fancy designs as they scurried around the place, panic and stress etched onto their faces. (y/n) slowly looked around as she was greeted with white and blue paint from the ceiling above as the room was covered in many computers and lab kits. The lab seemed to have multiple platforms surrounding it as other people walked on the second floor and hurried to their destinations. A huge screen was planted in the middle showing the same script that (y/n) could not understand. Her feelings were on hold as she observed the people around her. They seemed to dress like the woman, but they looked much more intelligent, considering of the clothes they wore. She picked up a few words in a different language as some of them chatted among each other, but stopped as they turned towards them, scanning (y/n) with a confused and curious look. (y/n) started to feel everyone else stop their work as they turned to look, feeling the uncomfortable silence that was forming in the air. The woman paid no attention as she pressed the gun harder against her back. “Start moving,” she said in a neutral tone as (y/n) started to take a few hesitant steps. The woman grabbed the back of her shirt as she guided her up the steps, passing a few scientists who began to whisper behind their backs. (y/n) was unable to understand what they were saying, but she could guarantee that they were mostly talking about her and the way she looked, in which she did not like at all as she turned her head and sent a glare along the way, causing the onlookers to shut their mouths.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” A male voice spoke up as they neared a large platform. (y/n) turned her head to see a tall figure standing on the platform as they arrived. The figure was a tall male in a lab coat wearing some sort of futuristic clothing. His eyes were a bright blue, but on closer inspection, (y/n) could see outlines of green that surrounded the iris, almost as if they were built-in wires. His skin looked like it was a partial tan with a few outlines of green and blue going up to his neck as they disappeared into his uniform. (y/n) could hear the woman sigh behind her. “You know exactly what it is, Maximillian,” she said in an annoyed voice. Maximillian gave a chuckle as he walked towards them. (y/n) glared at the man, tensing as he leaned forward. “I see you brought back a specimen from the corrupted timeline?” “What did you just call me?” (y/n) spat back as she growled at the man, who seemed amused at her reaction. “Oh, so feisty. I like this one,” he said in a teasing tone. “Careful Maximillian, I would be cautious around her,” the woman said. Maximillian sighed as he pulled back from her personal space and walked towards a place with many panels and holograms. “You know it is illegal to bring people from another timeline here, unless you have a very good reason as to why you brought it here.” “Excuse me, jerk. I’m not an ‘it’, I’m a god damn woman,” (y/n) retorted until the woman smacked her in the back of the head. (y/n) growled as she rubbed the spot as it began to pulsate from the impact. “As you may know,” the woman said, “This girl is my original.” The man’s ears perked up as he turned around with an interesting face. “Oh, how intriguing. It could have known since the two of you share the same personality.” (y/n) gave a snort. “God, you must be blind. The only difference I see is that I’m a loyal friend while she’s a backstabbing piece of-” “That’s enough.” The woman kicked (y/n)’s legs from underneath her, causing her to kneel on the ground as the woman wrapped her arm around her neck, pressing the gun to the back of her head. Maximillian was laughing at the ordeal, clapping his hands together. “Oh, what fun this is going to be.” The woman sighed as she leaned near (y/n)’s ear. “If you do not shut your mouth for once, I might reconsider to using harsher punishment on you to behave, do you understand?” (y/n) turned her head to the side, giving the woman a deadly glare. “Bite me, bitch. You’ve already done enough to me.” Maximillian sighed as he turned his attention to the panel. “Well, it is not entertaining anymore. It seems that you bore me once again.” The woman gave an annoyed look at the man. “Will you shut it? As it is, we have bigger problems to face right now.” The man waved a hand in the air as he started to type on the keyboard of the panel. “Indeed, it seems that the timeline is ceasing to exist as we speak. We are already closing all tunnels that connect to it to ensure it does not spread to any other timeline.” The woman nodded her head. “That is good. In the meantime, I need to set up a meeting to speak with the council. Do you think Megara could get them on the line?” Maximillian gave a small hum before pushing a few buttons, pulling up a scan of the wavelengths. “It seems that the continuum is drastically falling apart. We must seal the line immediately before it touches anything else,” he said. He pressed a small button next to him as he spoke again. “Start Alpha-101.” “Initiating system: Alpha-101,” a robotic female voice sounded through the lab as scientists immediately dashed to their stations.

(y/n) took the chance and started to quietly look around, scanning the systems and the walls with her eyes as she continued to lean her head down. She tried looking for any exits or ways to distract them as she escaped. Though she was alien to this place, she could figure out the place by getting her hands on a map or something. “I refuse to be stuck in this timeline forever. Besides, they already seem like they’re all jerks,” she thought. (y/n) glanced to see a few doorways surrounding the lab, but she wondered if any of them led them outside or wherever they were. The woman spoke again as she forced (y/n) to her feet, catching her attention. “Hey, watch it,” (y/n) scowled as the woman forced her hands behind her back. “Well, I have to resume my work. In the meantime,” she said as she turned to her colleague. “Maximillian, call in the soldiers and have them escort this girl to the cells.” “With pleasure.” He pressed on the button again. “Soldier A01 and AO2,” he said. He waited until a masculine voice spoke. “At your service, sir.” “I need you to escort a prisoner to cell block 201. She is here at the lab with us.” “Yes sir.” The communications went silent as (y/n) hissed, turning her head to the side to look at the woman. “You don’t take me seriously, do you?” The woman looked away as she pressed the gun harder against her. “And you seem to have a dirty mouth of your own. I’d keep quiet if I were you if you want to stop yourself from getting into more trouble than you are already in.” (y/n) swirled her tongue around her mouth before spitting at the woman’s face, landing a perfect hit on her right cheek. “Eat shit,” (y/n) said in a dark voice. The woman slowly reached her cloak and wiped her face. Without warning, (y/n) felt the woman swing her arm and land one on her face, turning her neck. (y/n) groaned as she felt the pain erupt from her cheek, feeling a mark forming. “I am getting tired of your rebellious attitude,” the woman said. “It seems that you need to know your place.” She gripped (y/n)’s hair as she reared her head back, causing her to hiss in pain. “You monster,” (y/n) spat out. “You are wearing my patience,” the woman said. The door behind them hissed open as the woman turned to see two guards dressed in heavy uniform, holding a gun on each side. “We are here to escort the prisoner,” one of them said. The woman motioned towards the girl as both guards surrounded (y/n) and grabbed her arms. “Let me go you wankers!” She yelled as she started to kick. “Do not resist or we will use greater force.” “I’ll tell you what’s going to be a greater force and it’s going to be-” The male guard on her right reached down and pulled a smaller gun out, aiming it at (y/n) and shooting her head. The impact caused (y/n) to open her eyes in shock as she felt a heavy surge throughout her body. She could feel the muscles shutting down as her body began to go limp and heavy. She felt her eyelids close as the feeling consumed her senses and closed her eyes, feeling nothing but darkness as she lured herself into a sleepless abyss. The woman sighed. “I forgot to mention that she will be a handful.” The female guard snorted. “I can tell,” she said with amusement. The two guards dragged (y/n) out of the room and down the hallway, her head hanging low as she laid unconscious. The woman turned and walked towards Maximillian, scanning the panel before them. A woman with pink hair wrapped in a complex bun appeared on the screen in tight uniform. Her cybernetic eye landed on the woman before she spoke. “The council will be speaking to you soon. They are gathering in the meeting room to speak about the issue.” The woman nodded as she glanced down from the platform. “Please connect the line to the main frame.” “Yes madame,” the robot said before she disappeared from the screen. The woman glanced at the screen on the lower floor, feeling her eyes scan at the blank canvas. Maximillian turned his head and looked at her. “What’s wrong, getting nervous?” He asked in a teasing voice. The woman gave him a side glance as she stared at him. “This is no joking matter,” she said in a stern voice, “the council is already upset about what happened. This next meeting will determine whether we get to live to see another day or not.” Maximillian’s smirk faltered as he turned away to proceed his work. “Right, the serious type,” he muttered under his breath. The woman glanced at the screen, feeling her chest swell from being anxious. “Hopefully, the council may spare us,” she thought.

…

Snoring was heard in the distance as Sniper laid his head on the table, a bit of drool falling along his chin. It was already far into the night, the clock on the wall indicating the 2:00 mark for the morning. The doctor leaned in his chair as he laid his legs along the table, sleeping in a peaceful state of mind as his curl rested along his forehead. It had been a while since Engineer communicated with them, but it was already getting late and the small cup of coffee that Sniper had failed to keep him up for the night to come. The cup that he had been working on was only a quarter done as he stopped halfway and decided to give his fingers a break. What lasted as a ten- minute break turned into an hour- long nap for him and the doctor as nothing else was heard from the screen. Medic was the other to go as he played with his thoughts of his dear friend. Throughout the night, he had been thinking about his own actions and the way it damaged his dear friend. He could still feel the pain of rejection, but the worst that could have happened was his ability to lose his sanity and get out of control again like he does on the battlefield sometimes. However, Medic was thinking like any intellectual adult. For god sake, he was a grown man and a doctor, minus the part that he lost his medical license. Still, perhaps Sniper was right; maybe he was acting like a child again from what he did. He can admit, he did not take the rejection well, but he was the one to talk bad about her afterwards. Medic swore and threw his things around his office, cursing at the girl and at himself for even initiating the move. He had his hypothesis, he believed that she had shown some interest in him. As for his evidence, he would see the way she smiled at him, the way she cared for him, and the way she bought them gifts and treated them like her family. All this he saw as small signs of interest in his mind that warped around the truth. What he failed to see was that she treated everyone else like this, but he only focused it on himself. Was he being selfish? Sure, he was, but who wouldn’t be if they had a desire for someone, a crush? Anyway, all that seemed to provoke him to initiate the action, though it did not feel like himself. To admit, he even asked the Spy a few hints on what charms a woman, though he had his own tricks up his sleeve. Nevertheless, he was quite shocked at her reaction afterwards. He could still remember the way she pushed him off, the way she refused to look at him again as she hurried along with Sniper. Hell, he started to feel embarrassed after one of his teammates walked in, thinking that Sniper saw what happened hurt his pride too much. After all, he saw himself worthy of such things, yet perhaps that may have been his downfall: his selfishness and his pride. Maybe if he were not so blind, he could have approached things in a different way. The way she looked at him when he stormed out, the way her eyes began to show pain and vulnerability reached him, but he only cared about how he felt in the moment and threw her away as if she was nothing else but a wrapper in a bin. Medic could say that he should have approached her and hear her side. He was taking account for what Sniper said and what was going on. Maybe she was not in the right mind, maybe he could talk to her when they got back. Though he did not want to, perhaps if they talked it out it would give him some closure, but he would still have to calm himself down from the situation. Of course, Medic could never hate her. She did so much for them, she voluntarily helped him with his experiments, and she enjoyed being around him. The other person that would help him would be Heavy, but he would mostly have to coax him due to how crazy he could get. Still, he enjoyed her company and her interests, so there was no doubt in his mind that he liked her around. In the end, he drifted to sleep as his thoughts cradled him to a soft slumber as he dazed himself into his own dreams of desires and memories.

Though it did not last long as a small rumble surrounded the base, shaking the walls as it grew louder. The feeling woke Sniper first as he slowly opened his eyes, pursing his lips a bit as he groaned, awakening from his slumber. “What the…” he slowly rubbed his eyes but came to his senses when a tool fell off the table. He quickly glanced around him, seeing everything start to shake. “What the bloody hell?!” Sniper glanced at the clock along the wall as the hands that were once resting were now spinning out of control, moving at a faster pace than he could keep up with. “Doc, get up!” He yelled as he quickly got up but braced against the table from the harsh movement of the shaking walls. The doctor was the next one to wake up, as he slowly opened one eye before gasping as both shot open. He quickly adjusted his glasses that were shaking furiously as he looked around. “Vhat is happening?!” Medic quickly stood up as the chair fell over, shaking with the floor. “Oi don’t know mate, but we gotta get outta here!” Sniper immediately ran to the door as it flopped open and closed, Medic running behind him. “Vhere is zhis coming from?!” Medic yelled as the entire base shook with such force. Things could be heard crashing down as Soldier was heard down the hallway. “Alright you American sissies, who’s ready to fight?!” He had his rocket launcher in his hand, ready for battle. “Oi don’t think anyone’s attacking us,” Sniper said as he began to look around. The other team members rushed out as Scout braced the wall. “Hey, what the hell’s goin’ on ‘ere? What is this, some type of earthquake?” Demoman rubbed his head. “Oh boy…” he burped as he swayed against the wall. “Ve don’t get earthquakes!” Medic yelled. Sniper glanced around. If it was not an earthquake that was happening, then what could be causing all of this? The walls around them began to crack as they started from small gaps to huge lines and designs running along the walls of the base. The wood in some parts began to rattle as the nails began to fall from the force. “Get movin’ lads!” Sniper yelled as he ran past them, making his way out of the base. “We got to get bloody out of here!” The team wasted no time in following him as they ducked, the nails falling onto their heads. “Jesus Christ, oh god!” Scout yelled as he ran past Sniper. Sniper heard something collapsing as he turned around and saw the walls beginning to come apart, the debris forming along the hallway. He picked up the pace as the team charged towards two doors. Scout wasted no time in slamming against them, causing them to fall off their hinges and land in the soft sand.

The team found their way out into the cold night as they huffed and puffed in their sweaty pajamas. Sniper leaned his hands against his knees as he caught his breath. The team slowly looked back in shock to see their base crumbling apart, but that was not the only thing they were looking at. “Holy shit!” Sniper exclaimed as they stepped back to see a thing forming above them in the sky. A dark black hole appeared before them, sucking in the sand from the ground and the cacti, gorging on the food as it grew bigger in size. Medic could not believe it as he took his glasses off. “Vhat zhe hell?!” The team took more steps back as they watched their beloved base come next, the wood starting to get sucked into the hungry force as it devoured its prey, eating every single splint and piece of their base. “Oh god it’s happening!” Scout screamed as he hid behind Heavy, who was just as shocked as he was. Spy rolled his eyes at Scout, but even he felt fear coursing through his veins. “Zhat looks like a black hole!” Medic exclaimed. Sniper turned to him. “No, doc. As a matter of fact, it looks white and pale and it might just be heaven,” he said with blunt sarcasm. The team watched in fear as the hole took the camper and the other vehicles along with it. “Ah’ piss,” Sniper muttered. The sand around them began to dissolve as Scout screamed. “Uh guys, what the hell’s happenin’ to us?!” The team looked at themselves and realized that they began to see pixels across their skin. “Ah, it is end!” Heavy screamed as his lower body began to disappear. Sniper gasped as his hands began to dissolve in little pixels as well. The team was panicking as they saw themselves disappear ever so slowly, as if death was taunting them. Soldier started to grab at the pixels. “You cannot hold America forever!” He yelled as he batted the pixels away, watching himself disappear by the second. Sniper fell to the ground as he looked at himself, seeing his legs gone as the pixels made their way up his body. Scout gave one last scream as his face disappeared, leaving behind nothing but an empty spot. “Scout!” Spy exclaimed until he too disappeared. Sniper watched at his teammates around him were plucked out one by one as until he was the only one left. He looked back as he felt the pixels against his neck. “(y/n)… Engie…” he said in his final breath. “Please, help us…” he said with concern before he closed his eyes as the pixels swallowed him, leaving small pixels behind from his hat as he felt nothing else as their world fell apart.

…

 _Cold._ That was one way to describe how she felt as she rubbed her arms together, sitting in the middle of nowhere. (y/n) slowly glanced around, squinting at the darkness that surrounded her. She exhaled as she felt the warm air greet her. If there were any light, perhaps she could see her warm breath against the cold. She seemed to find herself in a common room in her mind, with no one here, not a single person or thing in sight. (y/n) hugged herself as she shrunk back, eyes glancing around. “H-Hello…” she managed to speak as she turned her head down, resisting against the cold. She was aware that it was a dream, it had to be. This was not the first time she had been here; she has visited this place before in her dreams. She was waiting for anything to happen like it normally would. In a few minutes or so, the darkness would clear and show her the rest of her dream as she sat there, taking in the abyss that brought emptiness and coldness. “G-God, it’s so c-cold here,” she shivered as she caressed her arms. “I-I bet this is h-how the team i-is feeling r-right now…” (y/n) closed her eyes as pain erupted from her chest at the thought of her team. “This c-can’t be the e-end for us… r-right?” She wanted someone to tell her it was not, she wanted some part of her conscious to bring some relief to her, but she heard nothing within the darkness, nothing to stop her. She sighed as she buried her face in her hands. She had managed to resist the cold for a moment as she entered a weakening state. She refused to accept the fact that this was the end for her and her team, that there was some way to fix this. “T-There has to b-be another way…” she said aloud, her eyes squeezing tighter from the cold. (y/n) was starting to miss her friends already, but it also felt like she was forgetting them. She felt her head start to hurt as she imagined the smiling faces of her dearest friends, one of them an image of her and Sniper as she shot through her scope, hitting the target as he gave her a high five. She had another where her and Scout played a prank on Heavy by replacing the mustard in his sandwich with hot sauce as they laughed at his face. (y/n) gave a soft and raspy chuckle. “Heh… funny…” She felt her eyelids grow heavy as the cold was getting to her, putting her to sleep like a lullaby in a crib. “S-Sniper… E-Engie… guys…” she said in a low voice as she felt herself lay softly on the ground. “A-Anyone… please…” As if on cue, she saw a light in front of her as she laid on the floor. Her eyes slightly widened as she stared at the light. “H-Hello?” She managed to stutter as she tried to see into the light. She was unable to see anything, but she could hear hushed whispers coming from the light as they floated to her ears. “W-What?” She could hardly make them out until they began to grow louder. (y/n) strained her head to hear them until she felt herself grow heavier as she was unable to move the rest of her body. She gritted her teeth as she attempted to move. Then, she heard a voice that separated itself from the rest as it said one word to her, the only word that she could clearly hear before her eyes shut: _“Minerva.”_

(y/n) slowly fluttered her eyes open, her vision adjusting to the light of the world. It was hazy at first, but then it slowly started to clear up as she slowly lifted her head. Pain shot up her head, causing her to groan. Her first instinct was to clutch her head, however her hand was not coming up to bring comfort. Her vision immediately adjusted as she looked around. She noticed that she was not standing nor was she sitting as she was near the ground. She looked back and realized that she was being dragged along the ground as the guards surrounding her grabbed each of her arms. The pain caused her head to throb as she squeezed her eyes shut, softly shaking her head to ward off the pain. The female guard sneered at her. “Take a look at sleep beauty here,” she said in a mocking tone. The male guard looked down and shook his head. “Looks like the effects wore off faster than I thought, I guess she is tougher than we expected.” (y/n) glanced around and stared between the two guards, the hazy effect in her body wearing off as she observed her surroundings. She noticed that they were moving down a luminescent hallway of green and turquoise lights along the walls and the ground. (y/n) looked at the guards as they proceeded through the door that slowly slid apart for them to enter. “Where are you taking me?” (y/n) asked as the male guard ignored her comment. However, the female guard seemed to answer for her. “Honestly, we should have put her in the Room C for punishment instead.” The guard looked at her colleague, who sighed. “No, we are to put her with the rest of the prisoners for the woman’s sake.” The female rolled her eyes as her grip tightened, causing (y/n) to flinch. “Where’s the fun in that? Come on, just a quick trip. Besides, they wouldn’t even know the difference,” she whined. The male guard spoke. “Do you want us to get in trouble for not following orders? We are taking her to the cells.” The female huffed as (y/n) glared at her. “I don’t like this woman already,” she thought as they continued to drag her away. She turned her attention to the male guard, considering he seemed to be the more reasonable person. She stared at him and scanned him up and down, looking for anything. She had a feeling these cells were not like the normal bar cells or anything, but there is always a key to everything else. (y/n) slowly glanced at the man and noticed that there was something in his pocket. It looked like a keycard of some sort, but she had to check to make sure. (y/n) sighed to herself. “This has been a long day,” she thought.

They finally arrived at another sliding door with a guard outside of it. The guard gave them a smug look and stood tall. “Another prisoner, huh?” He said. The male guard nodded his head to the side, indicating for him to open the door. The man shrugged as he placed his hand on a panel to the side as it scanned his hand. The door slid open with ease as sound could be heard. (y/n) peered as her eyes soaked in the sight before her. The cells were not just one big hallway like she used to see in movies, but it was a huge series of stairs that led down and around the entire room as prisoners were stuck in rooms with a glowing screen that prevented them from escaping. Some of them cursed and yelled as they banged against the screen, demanding to be let out. The guards forcefully picked up (y/n), making her stand to her feet. The male guard forced her hands behind her back as the female took out a piece of metal. She placed it on (y/n)’s wrist as it formed a solid cuff that covered her wrists and part of her arm. “Just for safety precautions,” the woman said as (y/n) gave an irritable sigh. “Great,” she thought as they grabbed her arms and moved her down the flight of steps. (y/n) could hear the prisoners shouting at the guards as she glanced at the cells. Some of them had pieces of metal and tech implanted into their heads while some looked like they were test experiments. She could assume that some of these people were other time travelers or criminals in the timeline, something she would keep in mind. Some of these prisoners had roommates as one cell had two people fighting each other while the adjacent cells cheered them on. The male guard shouted. “Alright, knock it off before your termination starts early!” They made their way down the stairs, passing other cells that yelled at them. A few glares made their way to (y/n) as some men from the cells whistled at her. “Man, what a beauty,” one remarked. (y/n) turned to him and gave him a glare, baring her teeth. The woman slapped the back of her head. “Eyes forward,” she said as they arrived at a cell. (y/n) looked as she realized it was not vacant. There was a figure in the cell, crouched in the corner as its back faced them. (y/n) noticed that the cell around them was not clean as her face paled. The walls of the cells were covered in scratches as puddles of dried blood soaked the floor. She looked closer to see shredded clothing along the sides of the bench that was provided. “Oh… well shit…” (y/n) thought. The female smirked as she tapped on the screen that separated them. “Hey there pal,” she said with a sneer, “we got another friend for you to play with, I’m sure you two will get along fine.” The figure gave a dark chuckle as its head perked up. (y/n) recognized it as a male with the tone, part of its head shaved. The figure slowly stood up from the corner as (y/n) realized that the figure was much bigger than it looked. At its full height, the man looked to be about over six feet tall. “Oh my god,” she thought, “that thing is taller than Heavy…” The man turned around, his pale arms covered in strange glowing tattoos, the clothing ripped in different places. The man had a few scars across his face as his piercing yellow eyes stared at (y/n). A smirk spread across his lips as she soaked in her figure. The male guard sighed as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a keycard. The woman deactivated the cuffs from (y/n) as she felt her arms free at last. (y/n) eyed him from the side as he swiped it along the panel, causing the screen to shut down. The woman pushed (y/n) inside, causing her to slide along the ground. The male guard quickly closed the cell as he left. The woman lagged a bit before she turned her head. “And Morgue,” she said with a smug look, “don’t damage the toy too much.” The man smirked as he gave her a toothy smile. “No promises.”

With that, the woman disappeared as (y/n) quickly scrambled to her feet. “Morgue” slowly took a step towards her as he moved his arms around. “So, I guess this should be easy for me,” he said in a menacing voice. (y/n) glared at him as she slowly backed up until her back hit the screen behind her. “Oh, piss off,” (y/n) said in a stern voice as she curled her fists. To be fair, she was not afraid of the guy, she was mostly shocked at his built and height. He seemed that he could beat Heavy anytime, which meant a lot to her, who was smaller than both. The man cracked his knuckles as he was closer. “You seem like the fierce type, no doubt you can put up a fight. But I want to take my sweet time with you.” (y/n) slowly placed a hand in her pocket, wondering if she had anything left. Her bow was long gone, and she did not have time to grab anything else, however she felt a small piece of metal meet her hand. She realized that the metal she felt was her wire. (y/n) slowly grabbed it and pulled it out, making sure the man did not catch her move as she slowly wrapped part of it around her hand. “Oh yeah?” (y/n) questioned as she raised an eyebrow, licking her lips. She scanned him up and down, trying to see any weak spots. The man noticed her gaze and smirked. “You probably like what you see, don’t you?” He said, gesturing to his body. (y/n) gave a dry chuckle. “Nah, I’ve seen better.” The man furrowed his eyebrows as he glared at her, gritting his teeth. “So, we got a smart mouth. Well, I can easily fix that. You won’t even last a minute.” (y/n) crouched a bit as she noticed something about the man. The closer she looked at his stance, the more she realized that his left side tilted a bit. She could see that the man’s left side seemed to stagger behind him a bit as he moved closer. “There it is,” (y/n) thought as a smirk came to her lips. Now, she may have been smaller and a tad lighter than the man in front of her, she could assume that she had the speed to outrun him and dodge his attacks. She could rely on her senses and instincts like she always did. She learned early in her life that it did not matter how big an enemy was compared to her. She was aware of a few quotes in her life from the books she has read, especially the “Art of War” as one stuck out to her in a situation like this: _If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles._ With that, (y/n) looked at the man once more as he prepped his fists. “I’m going to put you six feet into the ground, “he said in a cocky voice. (y/n) gave out a dry laugh as she stared him down with confidence. “Oh, please shock me by saying something intelligent,” she said with sarcasm in her voice.

The man wasted no time as his fist connected with the screen. (y/n) managed to duck and roll between his legs at the attempt. As she predicted, his movements were slow, but she still had to be careful. He turned to his right as (y/n) ran to the wall and used it to kick off into the air as she swung her leg and hit his face. She landed on the ground as she looked up at him. The man seemed unfazed by her action as his head slowly turned and growled at her. (y/n)’s face faltered a moment as she realized her attacks meant nothing to him. “Well double shit,” she thought. The man swung his knee at her, but she slid to the side. His left arm swung down at her as she managed to move slight and jump again. This time, (y/n) grabbed his torso, swinging around until she wrapped her legs around his midsection as she brought the wire around his neck, pulling it back with force. “Yes!” She cheered in her mind as her teeth held together. The man started to scream as he clawed at his neck. He stepped back, causing (y/n) to crash against the other wall, leaving a few cracks. (y/n) took a sharp intake but held on tighter as the man struggled. However, the man decided to use his hand and grab (y/n)’s leg, crushing it as he dug his nails into it. (y/n) screamed through her teeth as she felt his nails cut through her skin. She started to feel the crimson running down her leg as she continued to pull harder on the wire. (y/n) could feel his breathing become shallow; she knew he was almost near his end. But the man continued to clutch on her leg harder, causing his fingers to open the cuts wider as (y/n) hissed in pain. (y/n)f used one hand to grab the wire as she used her fist and grabbed the man’s face, sliding her fingers through his nostrils. She pulled up sharply, causing the man to yell as she dug into his nose. Yet, the man was still able to survive. (y/n) cursed as she decided to take her hands out and try to dig it into his eyes. However, the man was able to move enough to cause the wire to loosen as he took the chance and grabbed it with his other hand. With one pull, he managed to break the wire as it slipped through (y/n)’s hand, falling to pieces along the floor. (y/n) was taken aback as she immediately wrapped her arm around his neck. However, he used his right hand and grabbed her arm, throwing her off him. She yelped as she felt herself thrown into the screen, groaning in pain as a trail of blood flowed on the ground. The man heaved as he regained his breath as he staggered towards her. (y/n) slowly got up as she glanced at her leg, filled with cuts from his nails. “Damn it,” she cursed. She managed to see a large boot come at her as she rolled out of the way, but another foot kicked her stomach as she felt the wind leave her chest. She rolled along the ground and hit the opposite wall, groaning, and clutching her stomach. “Not again,” she groaned as she grasped her aching stomach. (y/n) could feel the man coming near for another blow. She got up, ignoring the pain in her stomach as she readied her stance. The man let out a growl as he raised his fist once more and brought it down. (y/n) glared as she stepped to the side as the fist crashed against the wall. She took her chance and raised her foot and kicked the special spot. He groaned from the pain as he slung his left arm, but (y/n) grabbed it and placed her fingers along the knuckles as she split his hand open, causing the ligaments and tendons to break apart. The man yelled in pain as (y/n) socked his mouth, feeling the teeth bend and dig into his gums. Blood came from his mouth from the cuts as he screamed in the extreme pain on his face.

(y/n) took the chance and ducked beneath him. She paid no attention to the right punch that came around as it hit her on the side of the face as she felt the pain erupt from it. She felt her nose give a sickening crack as she flew to the ground and slammed into the wall. She groaned as she gripped her nose, feeling the blood dripping down her hand and onto the floor. She hissed as she shut her eyes, trying to ease the pain she felt that shot across her face. (y/n) could have sworn that she had it, so she could not understand how he managed to land a hit on her cheek. She could hear the man groaning as he gave a dark chuckle, slowly standing up. “You sure are a fighter, just not a good one,” he sneered. (y/n) slowly sat against the wall, opening one eye to stare at the man. The man regained his posture as she slugged towards her with a smirk. “Looks like this is the end of the line for you, girlie.” (y/n) closed her eyes as the man staggered closer, feeling the scent of his dirty outfit from all these years of being in the cell. “Okay, I’m probably going to get my ass kicked a few times, but it’s definitely not going to be because of a stink head like that,” she thought. She struggled to get up as she hugged the wall, staring at the man and at the broken wire across the ground. She quickly dug into all her pockets, believing she had one trick up her sleeve, there had to be something left. “Oh, hell,” she thought as her pockets lay empty. (y/n) glanced at the man once more, staring at his damaged left side. Maybe, just maybe, if she could just do some damage to his left side, maybe she could bring him down. She picked herself up as she charged at the man, who smirked as he recoiled both his fists and brought them down to her. This time, (y/n) ducked her head and leaned towards the man as the fists passed her, butting her head against his chin. She wasted no time as she heard the sickening crack of his teeth coming apart again as she heard the bones fall to the floor, bringing her leg up and performing a straight kick, hitting his jaw again. He fell to the floor, sliding on his back from the impact. He screeched in pain as he placed his hand on his mouth, feeling his missing teeth. (y/n) huffed as she glared at the man. “I’m sorry but looks like _this_ will be the end of the line for you.” She growled as she placed her leg back, leaning on it before she wheeled it to the side as she struck the man’s left side, hitting the side of his face and penetrating his eye. His face turned from pain to shock as the force placed pressure, causing a crack to form in his skull as his skin split open. She swung until his head turned all the way, causing a few bones to crack and fracture. (y/n) placed her leg down, her boot now covered in red as she panted and looked at the man. His face was turned to the side, his body unmoving as blood dripped from his new wounds. (y/n) stood straight, holding her nose as she felt the pain throbbing. “Asshole,” she said as he laid still.

She gave a huge sigh, exhausted from the fight as she made her way over to the small bench on the side, holding her nose and leaning back against the wall. She winced at the hardness of the bench, rubbing her butt with her other hand. “God, I miss my bed.” (y/n) closed her eyes for a moment as she let the pain subside. Then, she heard clapping from afar, causing her to open one eye and slightly tilt her head to the side. From the other side of the wall, another cell had two figures looking her way, clapping with enthusiasm as they gave her a cheeky smile. “Well done, doll,” the woman said. Her roommate next to her raised a fist in the air. “Finally, we have a new champion!” They seemed to have waited for her response, but (y/n) simply rolled her eyes and turned her back towards them, turning her attention to the wall. The woman frowned a bit but continued to talk to her anyway. “I can tell you’re not from here.” (y/n) gave a scoff. “As if it wasn’t obvious enough,” she muttered. The woman leaned against the panel, watching the girl in awe. “I mean, you sure know how to fight girl.” (y/n) said nothing else as she continued to ignore them. She was not having it right now; she probably had a broken nose considering the bleeding was not stopping anytime soon. She turned her head slightly as the smell of the man hit her nose. She gave a small glance, seeing the pale face of the man. She sighed as she waited in her cell. The woman gave up in talking to her as she muttered to her roommate. “We got another jerk.” (y/n) cradled herself against the wall as she got lost in her thoughts on how to get out of here. “Well, this cell is certainly made out of some material.” She knocked on the wall, feeling the hardness and the smooth material. (y/n) did not know what metal it was, but it felt almost indestructible. “Well, the only way that I can get out of this damn cell is if I get that keycard… but how am I going to get it?” She turned her head as she looked out her cell, watching the intricate details of the screen. Her eyes gazed out as she glanced around the entire room, feeling a frown upon her face. There was nothing else to do here except to wait for the guard. (y/n) sighed as she fiddled with her fingers until an idea came to her head, causing her to give a small smirk. This was going to be fun.

…

The woman scrambles around, scanning data and logging in information as her colleagues compare their work. “Well, looks like this one is worse than the others,” she thought as she observed the screen. Maximillian followed her gaze as he whistled. “Wow, it appears this one is surely gone.” The woman nodded. “I refuse to believe that she thinks that we can fix this one.” Maximillian looked at her and laughed. “You’re serious, right? How stupid can she be? There is absolutely no way to fix this mess, look at it!” He motioned towards the screen. The timeline that appeared on the screen began to disappear one by one as the black hole hologram started to grow bigger. The woman stared at the large hole, blinking towards the indestructible force that ate away lives and time altogether. She stayed silent as she thought about how (y/n) felt before she was taken away. She started to doubt that she was doing her job like she was supposed to. The woman was sent to deal with time, to kill the criminals, and yet she allowed one to live only because it was her original, but that was for a good reason, right? In the end, she would have to give up (y/n) to the council for termination, but that would also mean she would disappear as well. She failed to capture the thieves before it was too late, since the damage was done. She kind of felt sorry for the girl, but she also had a duty to oblige to. There was no time for empathy, for her job came first for the greater good. However, she seemed to have other ideas in her head. The way she lied to Leonardo and told him that she could save him again, that she could bring back the timeline and save them all. She knew that she lied to him, but it was only because she did not want him to die in horror, but in comfort. However, she thought of what (y/n) said about her. The woman unintentionally rubbed her arm. She felt… guilty. Though she attempted to brush it off, somehow it always made her way into her mind again. So, what if she lied, he did him a favor, right? She somehow doubted the question, shaking her head slightly and turning away from the screen, slowly making her way over to a floating chair. The woman took a seat, crossing her arms together. Even if she tried, there was no way that she was able to fix this. After all, there was nothing left of the timeline. As it is, they did not even know much about time travel yet. They were still working on discovering more about ‘the realm’, but now she was mostly concerned about the council. The thought of their name made her clutch her cloak as she felt a shiver down her spine. From the moment she started her job as a scientist and an officer, she always needed to learn one rule: never upset the council. It was strange at first, but she knew that the council was supreme in her world. However, she never really cared about the council, well, until she started to understand how things worked around here. The council was always in charge of their lab stations, always having to approve their research, always checking in and making sure everything was in order, and always here to make sure that the team did what they were told. If the council wanted you to stop on one project and move on to another, you were to do it without any second thoughts, no buts, and say nothing else about it. She learned about that pretty quickly when she saw one scientist refusing to give up on his research on ‘the realm’. She never did see him again the next day. The woman sighed as she rubbed her forehead from the tension building up. She certainly was going to have to face the council for her failed attempt and the timeline. She started to wonder what would happen to her: would she be taken away like the scientist, would she get a slap on the wrist, would they do something to the team? All these thoughts swirled in her head. “God, why did I have to be in charge of this?” She thought as she glanced down at her hands. For once, she was nervous about going to the council empty-handed.

Her thoughts were interrupted from a scream that sounded throughout the lab. The woman whipped her head around and looked at the scene before her. The other scientists and officials gasped as they all stared at the centerfold. There was a scientist screaming as he stared at his hand. The woman’s eye widened as she saw his hand start to disappear. The other people started to tremble as the man’s arm began to disappear, reaching towards his torso as he cried for help. He started to panic, rushing to people, begging for help, but the people were afraid as they started to take a few steps back from him. The screams caused the woman to look in fear as she covered her mouth. The man stared at them before there was nothing left of him. His glasses were the only thing left as they crashed to the floor, the glass still intact as it came to a halt, laying there peacefully. It did not take long for someone else to scream as the entire lab turned into chaos. People started to rush around, checking for scans as Maximillian attempted to calm everyone down, but the woman did nothing but stand there, watching the whole scene unfolding around her. Her mind went blank with shock after what she just saw, her eyes and face trembling as her hands shook. “No,” she said in quiet voice, “that cannot be…” Another scream caught her ear as she turned her attention to another woman, who was looking at her fading body. “Somebody, help me!” She screamed out, reaching for her colleagues, who screamed and ran away from her as she fell to the floor, her face fading away from reality as she suffered the same fate as the man before her. The woman stood in shock around her as more screams filled the air as people started to disappear. Other scientists were grasping the rails, helplessly staring at their colleagues as they disappeared before their eyes. Some started to look at themselves and cry, wondering if they were going to disappear too. Maximillian glanced at the woman, who stood staring in a shocked state, standing in the same place. He ran to her and shook her senseless to get her attention. “What the hell is happening?!” The woman’s eyes ever so slowly glanced to him as her mouth fell open. She wanted to say it, she wanted to say what was happening because she damn well knew what was going on, but all she could say was a small croak. Maximillian shook her again, trying to get her to snap out of it. “Something happened, this has to be because of the corrupted timeline, isn’t it?” The woman did not shake her head, nor did she nod as Maximillian became frustrated. “Damn it, answer me please!” The woman said nothing else as she processed the sight in front of her, watching as the rest of her colleagues disappeared one by one, their screams dying out as they faded away into nothing but air. The woman slowly kneeled to the ground as Maximillian held her, following her lead. The woman began to breathe heavily, staring in horror as the terror finally stopped, leaving everyone scared and stunned at the same time. Maximillian turned to the woman and was about to reach out to her when he froze. The woman slowly looked his way as Maximillian backed away. At first, the woman thought that she was disappearing as she looked down at herself, but she felt fine. When she looked up, she saw that Maximillian was missing an arm, a shoulder, and now his legs. He stood there, looking at himself before looking back at the woman. He quickly raced to her, falling to his knees as he slowly disappeared. “Please…” he pleaded one last time, “help us all.” He continued staring at her with a pleading look as he finally disappeared, leaving behind nothing of him as the woman stood there, unable to say anything yet. One of the nearby scientists slowly approached her as she looked down at the ground where her colleague was. He cleared his throat. “Um… ma’m…” She raised her hand up at him, causing him to silence. She did not want to speak, no… not now. She could not even comprehend what had just happened as everyone else tried to calm themselves down, looking around to see who was next. “What… how…” the woman thought as her fingers trembled. She slowly glanced at the scientist, who stood with his mouth shut. “Run… a scan on our… population…” she said in a low whisper. He managed to pick it up as he rushed over to the panel and started logging in the information.

A screen popped up as he gasped at what he saw. The woman glanced and saw holograms of people screaming in the streets as others started to disappear as well. Parents and children were scrambling for safety while others were too stunned, standing in their spots as they watched their significant others disappear, officials disappear, and so on. The woman could do nothing but stare as this happened, watching their population go down. The scientists turned to her. “W-What is going on, why are people disappearing?” A few minutes went by before the woman finally spoke. “The timeline was not the only thing that was… corrupted,” she said as she slowly tapped on the panel. The scientist gave her a worried look as he waited for the response. “W-We missed something?” The woman refused to look at him as she struggled to finish her sentence. “I-In timelines… w-we have things c-called… o-o… originals…” The scientist felt his face pale as he started to piece together what she was saying. “A-And, sometimes t-these originals c-can be in different… t-timelines…” “So, you’re saying that… their originals were… in that timeline?” The woman said nothing else as she felt her knees shake. She quickly caught herself, using the panel to support her weight as the people around them listened in. They began to panic as they started to frantically talk among themselves. “What about us, are we going to disappear too?!” “I don’t want to die, not yet!” “What are we going to do?” “What if we disappear too?!” “What the hell is going to happen?!” “SHUT UP!” The woman screamed, causing the scientists to hush and shut their lips, staring at her in fear. “JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!” She turned as she felt her breathing heave, staring at the many faces that peered at her outburst. She gave a shaky inhale, realizing what she did. She slowly regained her composure, calming herself down, but she continued to shake. “Look, we can… figure this out,” she said in a soft voice. The scientist next to her flailed his arms. “How?! We can’t get the timeline back, much less our folks! They’re all gone now, there’s nothing we can do about it and you’re saying we can figure this out?!” The woman slowly turned to him. “We need to continue our research with ‘the realm’ and the balance-” “You damn well know that’s not up to us!” The scientist grabbed his hair as he twisted it. The woman rubbed her head as she found her voice again. “Get the council on immediately.” Some people followed her orders as they scrambled to their places, typing in a few things before the screen in the middle of the room activated. The woman could see the line was starting up as she fixed herself before walking to the middle, standing in front of the panel, waiting for the council to pick up. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, placing her hands behind her back. It was a slow process, but she tried to put a serious face on before presenting herself to the council. After all, she did not want to seem weak in front of the most powerful people who put her in charge of the mission in the first place. Then, she saw seven holograms forming around her as seven members showed up, sitting in their places. The council was composed of a mixture of men and women, some with cybernetics in their systems while some were normal. The woman blinked for a few moments before she bowed to them. “Good evening, council,” she said in a stern voice.

The larger council member in front of her tilted her head towards her as he tapped his fingers against the board. “Ah, hello Mrs… my apologies, I forgot about your codename,” he said as he cleared his throat, “Hello Annora.” The woman nodded, feeling the other eyes of the council members peering into her soul. “It is nice to see you again, sir,” she said with another bow. However, the man seemed unfazed as he straightened himself in his chair. Another woman turned as she spoke. “So Annora, would you care to tell us why people are beginning to disappear as we speak?” Annora sighed as she straightened herself out. “As you may have been notified earlier, the previous timeline has fallen into… chaos. It has been confirmed that the timeline is being wiped out for good.” Another council member spoke up. “And did we not send you to take care of the problem before anything drastic happened?” Annora felt herself tense up at the hostility, closing her eyes for a moment. “Yes, but we did not know of this until there was already severe damage-” “I feel like you are using excuses for your failure,” the man spoke again with disappointment in his voice. Annora said nothing as she closed her mouth. Another lady on the right folded her hands on the desk. “And now I presume that we have lost many originals in that timeline, correct?” Annora nodded her head slowly. “Indeed…” she said. The council members leaned in their chairs, thinking. The woman finally spoke again. “Annora, you have failed a mission that cost the lives of millions and have failed to capture the criminals that have caused such a mess.” Annora froze as she looked up at the council. “Your honor,” she said quickly, “w-we can do something about this-” “No.” The man interrupted her, causing her to gape at him. “Annora, your failure in resolving this problem has earned you a removal of your position in this laboratory and our supervision. You will be sent to leave immediately for termination for your actions and your mission-” “Stop, I can fix this!” Annora blurted out, stomping her foot to the ground. Her chest heaved from the fear that built up from her as the entire lab went silent. The council members paused as they looked at each other as the man in the middle stared at the woman before him. “You think… you can fix this?” Annora went silent for a moment. She had no idea what caused her to say that and why she said that. Maybe it was because of the fear of being terminated, or maybe she really did want to fix this. After all, she had lost her colleagues and her friend, but then again… she kept saying that there was no way to fix this. But… she kept thinking that there was not enough research to begin with, so if they were able to continue their work, then they could possibly, just possibly, restore things back to normal. Annora looked at the man. “Yes, if you… just give us more time to proceed our research again then we could find a way to restore the timeline.” Another member laughed at her. “You think you can fix something like this? Look at it, the entire timeline is being destroyed by a black hole, there is no possible way of restoring it.” However, the man silenced his colleague with his hand, causing him to cease his mockery. He turned his attention to the woman below. “Do you really believe that you can resolve this?” Annora hesitated for a moment before she nodded. “Yes, I can. If you just gave us some time to resume our original research, then we could find something that could reverse the effects.” The man stayed silent as the other members whispered to each other. One woman on the far corner remained silent through the whole thing, her face aged with wrinkles and a sad face that complimented her uniform. The council went silent as her voice spoke. “Annora,” she said in a voice of authority and power. “If you believe that you can fix this, then I will allow you to resume your research with your remaining colleagues,” she said. Annora gave a small sigh of relief. “Thank you, you have no idea how much this means-” “Silence.” Annora shut her mouth again, staring at the old woman, who cleared her throat. “However, that does not mean you are free from the punishment of termination.” Annora felt sweat build on her forehead as the man spoke again. “I agree, there must be some form of punishment.” The woman thought for a moment before she made up her mind. “We will give you thirty days on your research. Whether you find something or not, the moment the time comes you will be removed from your position and escorted to termination.” Annora felt her heart drop at the catch. “So…” she said in a quiet voice. “It means that you will attempt to find something to fix this and help us get our citizens back. Your termination is still valid in the end for your failure in the mission. Remember,” she said with a wave of her finger, “this would not have happened if you captured the criminals for this.” Annora’s gaze faltered as she thought about the process. The council members seemed content with her answer.

“Your time shall start now,” she said, “and may I wish you good luck on your findings.” The council began to disappear one by one, the holograms fading into the air until Annora was the only one left. The room was silent until one scientist spoke again. “Um, ma’m,” he said, causing Annora to look up at him. “What,” she said in a monotone voice. The scientist adjusted his glasses. “Did you not speak to them about the girl?” The woman gave him a look, causing him to gulp. She took a step closer. “The council must not know about that girl,” she said to her colleagues. “But, what will they say-” “Unless you want all of us to be terminated,” she said in a loud and stern voice, “I suggest we all keep our mouths shut about this.” The remaining people shut their mouths as they stared at Annora, who paced around the room. She clasped her hands behind her back as she stared at her colleagues. “We will resume our research on ‘the realm’ based on Dr. Minerva’s work,” she said. The colleagues whispered among themselves until she stomped her foot on the ground. “Fellow scientists, we only have thirty days to figure this out, there is a slightly chance that we may be able to reverse the effects if we know more about this realm and the timeline itself. I suggest we start working now. Take out Dr. Minerva’s research files and get to it.” With that, the scientists were on the move, downloading works and files as Annora walked back to her station. She sighed as she leaned against the panel, staring at her reflection on the blank screen. She thought for a moment as she remembered what the council said. “Either way,” she thought, “I am going to die.” She stared at the reflection of her face, analyzing every detail. There was no harm in trying, but she still could not believe that she was set up for termination. She wanted to beat herself up for not getting there on time, she wanted to just punish herself for failing the council, especially the woman who initiated her time. Annora glared at her reflection at the thought of the woman, seeing her cold eyes look down upon her with no affection, no love, and no empathy. She only saw emptiness and disappointment in her eyes as she stared down upon her only child. Annora sighed. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about the events that were to come. She opens her eyes, a look of rage and determination etched onto her face. She had enough of the council’s rule, enough of her failure. Annora was going to prove them wrong and show them that she could fix this. If she was going to die anyway, might as well go off with a bang. Suddenly, a guard entered the room, running as he grabbed onto the wall. The woman turned away. “Good lord,” she said, “you look like a mess.” The guard ignored her comment. “Ma’m, the girl is gone.” The woman paused for a moment before she sighed. “And how is it that you managed to lose her?” The guard rubbed his head. “Well, we found her on the floor of the cell. We thought she was unconscious-” “Just never mind.” The woman sighed, knowing what happened. “Where was she the last time you saw her?” “She escaped the medical bay, but the guard that was assigned to watch over her disappeared somehow.” The woman knew what happened as she pushed past the guard. “Must I do everything myself?” She muttered as she made her way down the hall.

…

(y/n) hid behind a wall, waiting for the guards to run by. She concealed her breathing as she saw the clearing. She quickly ran across the corridor, scanning for any open doors that she could access with the keycard in her pocket. It seemed to be a miracle at how she was able to escape them, though she had no idea what had happened. Luck seemed to be on her side for now as she hid behind a small structure. At first, the male guard from earlier did a check on her cell, only to find her laying unmoving on the floor, covered in blood. Of course, the guard immediately called for a doctor as he opened the screen, entering and checking her. He was relieved to find a pulse but wondered what happened until he saw the man’s dead body. A doctor came right away with a floating cot as they hauled her on. As they made their way to the med bay, the doctor was searching for any wounds, but could not find any. He suggested that the girl may have had internal bleeding that caused her to become unconscious, but he had to further check her out. As they made their way to the med bay, the doctor started to run some scans while the guard waited, standing next to the girl on watch. Suddenly, (y/n) woke up and managed to take the guard down as the doctor scrambled to call for more reinforcements. However, she managed to throw a few tools at the doctor to prevent him from reaching the emergency panel. (y/n) had a huge fight with the guard, but he managed to pin her to the floor. Just as he was about to reach for his cuffs, he started to scream, which made her confuse at first. She looked to see that he was disappearing for no reason, which made her gasp in shock. Hell, even the doctor was scared as he watched the guard disappear. (y/n) quickly grabbed the keycard as he was completely gone. She was confused as to what had happened until the doctor managed to get to the panel. She took her chance and ran out the med bay, finding a way out of this place. And here she was now, hiding as more guards made their way past her. (y/n) sighed as she stood and ran farther down. She noticed that all the doors had a scanner as she started to test each one, earning an error in return. There were signs on the doors, but she could not understand the symbols and languages. “God, why does this happen to me?” She muttered.

She heard a sound of a door opening as she hid along a wall. (y/n) peered to see a woman in a lab coat exit out of a door. “Well, I’m heading out. Tell them I said hi,” she said as she started to leave. (y/n) looked to see the door open. She made sure that the woman was a distance away before she ran to the door. She could see it start to close as she slid along the floor and entered the room, hearing the door close behind her. (y/n) sighed, pumping her fist in the air for her success. Then, she heard voices from a distance as she stayed silent, observing the room before her. She noticed the room was pure white with lab equipment on multiple smooth tables. She noticed that the room was much smaller than the main lab, but it was clean and nice. There were other rooms along the side where the voices were coming from, probably other private labs. However, the one thing that caught her eye was the contraption in the center of the lab. It looked like a round portal of some sort that was shaped into a sphere with a hole in the middle. There was a platform along that glowed. “That looks like a teleporter,” she thought. “But it looks like something more than a teleporter…” She looked at the color, which was a deep purple and blue. The voices started to grow louder as (y/n) saw shadows appearing from the other doorway. She frantically looked around until she spotted a spare desk. Wasting no time, she ran and hid underneath the desk, listening as the people walked into the room. “Well, I am glad that we finally get to resume our projects,” one voice said. (y/n) stayed silent as she made sure she was not seen. “That is good, now we can resume our realm projects.” “Though I do feel bad,” one voice said, “I wish Minerva could have been here to see it.” (y/n) froze at the mention of the name. “Minerva… just like in my dream…” The voice sighed. “Yes, it is a shame that he had to go before seeing his work continued. At least we get to complete his work for him.” The others nodded in agreement as (y/n) squinted her eyes. “Did you hear about what happened?” “About the disappearance? Of course! I feel bad about Annora though, she was taking a real beating from the council.” “Agreed, looks like another one will be terminated soon.” “Too bad, she was a real good person.” They sighed as (y/n) listened on. “Anyway, I guess that’s enough work for today on ‘the realm’.” She perked up at the mention. “Well, I mean do you think that there is something in ‘the realm’?” “Who knows, maybe there could be another world in it.” “As if, it’s supposed to be vacant, right?” “Well, Minerva says otherwise.” (y/n) paused at this. “What do you mean?” Questioned a voice. “I mean that he believed that ‘the realm’ is actually a place where the corrupted timelines go.” Another voice laughed at this. “Seriously, why would he even think about that? ‘The realm’ is a nowhere zone, there’s nothing there but emptiness.” “Well, we can never know for sure,” the voice said. “We can continue this tomorrow, I’m tired.” “Yeah, well I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” “Bye.” “See you tomorrow.”

The voices started to retreat as the sound of a door opening reached her ears. She waited until the sound of footsteps faded as the door closed again. (y/n) slowly stood up from her hiding place as she looked around, making sure the coast was clear. “Alright,” she said as she walked over to the tables. “This Minerva guy seems to know what he’s up to,” she said. (y/n) glanced around to see multiple papers and screens around the table. She looked at a few papers, seeing that most of them had equations, but some had the foreign language. She thought for a moment about what the scientists said. “If the timelines do go to ‘the realm’… then that must mean the team is there!” She had a glimmer of hope flutter in her chest at the mention of the team being alive. “That must mean they’re not entirely gone, theyr’e just placed somewhere else. That means Engie might be there too!” She nodded her head as a smile came to her face, but then she started to think again. “If Engineer is in ‘the realm’, then there must be someway to get to there. If I can get him, I can bring him back here and he can help me get our timeline back.” She dug through the piles, trying to find something. (y/n) started to play through the screens, touching buttons to see if they would bring up charts. Apparently, her lack of knowledge for the language caused her to shut down a screen as she groaned. “Great,” she muttered as she continued to look for other things. “Might as well just stick to equations,” she mumbled.

Suddenly, she felt something brush her hair to the side. Though it felt light and barely recognizable, she could feel it as she quickly turned around. “What the hell?!” She said as she looked around the room. (y/n) seemed to be the only one here, seeing no signs of anyone else. “Maybe it’s the air conditioning,” she thought as she felt the air. However, she did not see the papers moving or any air unit running. (y/n) felt a chill down her spine as she glanced around, holding a few papers in her hand. “I don’t like this,” she thought. She started to feel a dread coming from her. It was as though she started to feel a presence in the room, but there was nothing else. She walked over and started to go around the room, checking the small labs in the process. (y/n) seemed to be the only one in the room, so she could not understand why she thought there was someone else in there. Then, she felt it again. She felt the presence grow stronger as she neared the portal. (y/n) froze, feeling something brush her hair again. She looked with her eyes, scanning the place until she felt the presence again. She slowly took a step forward and was met with another shiver. She felt the presence grow stronger as she took another step. She found herself walking to the portal as she clutched the papers. She did not know what was going on, but it was something. She took one more step before she felt the thing in front of her. (y/n) stared at a moment, stuck in some trance. “What the hell is going on, is there something wrong with me?” She thought. However, she felt something about this presence, as if it were familiar enough…


	13. Update A/N

Hello everyone! I apologize for being so absent for the past days, I just came back from vacation and I was just dying to get back home to continue working on my story. I couldn't take my laptop with me to write, which made me die a bit :*(. Not to fear though, I am still working on the story and getting right back on track. I can't wait to write again and post another chapter since it's been a while. Anyway, stay safe everyone!


	14. The Realm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As (y/n) tries to find a way to get her friends back, our man finds himself in a dire situation with no place to go, but new friends to meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so I have been absent for a while. Just managed to get another chapter put in for you guys. I know it's been a long time since I posted a new one, but I might go back on vacation soon to look at a few things for college. But, I can try to fit another chapter in before I go just so I won't keep you guys waiting ;) Overall, please enjoy the chapter!

It was dark and empty in the vast land. There was no wind howling nor anything swaying. It felt somewhat warm, yet somewhat cold as he floated around wherever he was. Engineer slowly opened his eyes, feeling himself lifted in a world without life, his boots dangling above wherever the ground was. He slowly blinked, his mind looking at nothing but a dark place. A sharp pain shot through his head. “Ah’… mah’ head…” he groaned, rubbing the spot through his hardhat. He slowly came to attention at his surroundings, blinking at the vacant place. “Where the hell am ah’?” He asked himself, turning his head around one way and another. At first, his mind felt blank as he tried to process what happened. Then, the events started to slowly come back to him as he began to recall his situation. “Ah’ hell!” He shouted as he remembered the incident with Spy. “Ah’ can’t believe that hubber,” he growled. “He don’t even know what he did, sending us here-” He paused as he realized what he said. “Wait a minute.” He looked around again. “Where the hell is he? Or better yet… where the hell am ah’?” Engineer glanced around to see nothing, even squinting his eyes did nothing to help him in his situation. “Where even am ah’?” Engineer had no clue of the place he was in as he shifted about, nothing coming into his view, nothing but the same color of black. “Geez, what even happened?” Engineer rubbed his chin, thinking about it until he glanced at his left arm. His eyes processed his wrist as he saw the now broken time machine. “Dag nabit.” He slowly touched a wire, which exploded in his hands. His eyes started to roam the time machine, seeing the damage that they caused. Engineer glanced up. “Whatever happened must’ve taken us to some place else, but where?” He floated around some more, wandering around the vast land of emptiness as he called out for anyone. “Hello,” he shouted, “anyone there? Ah’ reckon ah’ can’t be the only one that’s here!” All he could hear was the echo of his own voice. “Ah’ hell,” he muttered as he rubbed his head. He was stuck in a place that he had no clue about and now he was all alone. He sighed as he crossed his legs, floating into a seated position, rubbing his chin. The events were still somewhat blurry to him after the explosion, but he could remember a few things. Engineer remembered battling the Spy as he chased him in the future with a jetpack, building the machine, and… He froze as he started to recall the other events. “Ah, hell!” He immediately stood up, only to float upside down as he panicked. “Damn it, ah’ forgot (y/n)!” He started to lift his wrist and fumble with the machine, only for it to give out smoke again. “No, no, no…” he said repeatedly as he rummaged in his pockets for any tools. “Oh god, no!” Engineer smacked his machine a few times, seeing anything else working with the cracked screen, but nothing happened. He groaned as he remembered about (y/n). “Darn, ah’ gotta get out of here an’ get (y/n)!” He cursed as the time machine did nothing else for him as he sighed in disappointment. “God, ah’ need to get back to (y/n). Ah’ need to get back to that pizza country,” he said, but he looked around to find nothing else. He realized that there was nowhere to go since the time machine was broken and it looked like it was going to be like that for good. There was nothing else to see as he kept playing around with the time machine to see any hope of going home. He started to breath heavily as the time machine did him no good, failing in his grasp. Engineer clenched his fist, gritting his teeth at the realization. His gloved fingers dug into his palm as he screamed, yelling into the abyss as loud as he could. He punched at the air and kicked at the darkness, cursing, and shouting obscene words into the air.

His chest heaved as he inhaled and exhaled, staring at his hands before him as they trembled with fear and worry. Engineer felt himself slowly descend to the ground, his legs resting on the void beneath him, causing him to kneel. His mind swirled with endless possibilities and realization as he noticed that he was never going to get his friend back. What was left of the time machine was now garbage in his hands and whatever exit there was for him was now gone. Now, (y/n) was trapped in time forever while the team wondered what was taking them so long. In addition, he was now stuck in a place that was unknown to him. The thought of the entire team made his head hurt as he kept wondering what they were thinking about now. How was he going to get to them, how was he going to explain to them what had happened, how was he going to get (y/n) back and go back home to begin with? Engineer realized there was no way out, wherever he was as he punched the void beneath him, feeling the soft ground absorb the impact. “Dag nabit…” he muttered. His breath became shallow as he stared at the ground, wondering if this was over for them. He seemed to be trapped in a blank space in time with no one else but himself. Engineer sighed as he rubbed his head again, shaking his head at the thought of being trapped here forever. “It just can’t be, ah’ know there must be something ‘round here,” he said aloud. Engineer stood a bit, feeling the ground move a little from his movement as he took another step. Once he felt that he was stable enough, he proceeded to walk along the darkness glancing around at anything that could be in sight. Still not understanding what happened, it was a strange place to be in after the explosion. There was nothing but darkness, more darkness, and would you look at that… more darkness. The only thing he could see throughout this place was himself and that was just about it. What was also strange about it was that there seemed to be no wind or air. The atmosphere felt strange and gave him a tingling feeling when he took a breath as he fell from his anger. Engineer sniffed the air, but there was no scent or anything, as if the place were odorless. His eyes scanned about as he continued to walk in an endless cycle, wondering if he were looping around or continuing down an infinite path. Engineer started to wonder if he was even the only one here. It seemed so empty yet full at the same time, like the water that is filled halfway in the glass as two people assume whether the glass is half empty or half full. He rubbed his head again as he shook the feeling off. Whatever this place was, it seemed to throw his own instincts off balance. “Damn, ah’ sure wish ah’ knew what this place was. It’s startin’ to give me the jeebs,” he said. He started to feel that this place was taunting him, and he could have sworn he heard a few whispers here and there in the distance, but he shook it off. Yet, his mind felt occupied by it. Engineer glanced around, turning his head behind to see if there was anyone there, only to find the vast void as always. He slowly turned around, eyes glancing around the area in front of him. He felt the hairs on his neck stand a bit. “If this place is hell, ah’ sure don’t like it already.” This place was already giving him a bad feeling to it.

A hushed whisper reached his ears from the side as he whipped his head around. His eyes scanned the direction of the voice he heard, thinking he was going to see someone or something, but as always it was vacant. He felt uneasy about it, but he knew he heard something. “Ah’ heard that,” he said out loud, “ah’ know yer’ there!” Nothing spoke again as he listened to hear the voice again, to hear the hushed and soft whisper that kissed his ear and danced away like a flirtatious woman of the night. Engineer held his breath and stayed silent, but there was no fleeting voice again. “Ah’ know yer out there,” he said again, “ah’ reckon you show yourself now.” There it was again. Another hushed whisper reached his ear, only this time it came from his left side as he quickly turned the other way. Engineer squinted in the dark to find anything, maybe someone that was calling him out, but he could see nothing. Engineer started to feel nervous as he rubbed his hands together, feeling the metal from his gunslinger rub against his fleshed hand underneath the rubber coating. “H-Hello?” He spoke in a softer voice, wondering if the thing could hear him. Another whisper reached his ear, but this time he could make out what it said. _“Another.”_ Engineer quickly turned his head as he stared at the blank canvas again. “W-Who’s out there,” he said as he reached his hand to his side and grabbed onto his wrench. It seemed to be the only weapon he had on him for now, which brought him some relief. However, the voice seemed to be coming from different directions, causing him to stand in place, preparing for any attack that may come to him. “Whoever you are, you show yourself right now.” He bit the inside of his cheek as he sized up, waiting for another voice to call out. _“Over here.”_ Engineer turned around as he raised his wrench up, looking at the direction of the voice. He recognized it as a soft male voice, sending shivers up his spine. “Come and face me!” Engineer yelled out as the grip on his wrench tightened. He glared at the sound, holding his stance as he readied to throw his weapon at the thing. Hushed whispers reached his ears again as he glanced around through his goggles. They seemed to be jumbled and nonsense, but then they started to die down as distinct voices could be heard. _“I think this is the one.” “Yes, this is the one.” “No, it cannot be, look at him.”_ Engineer raised an eyebrow at the voices, not understanding what they were talking about. At the same time, he started to feel frustrated from the lack of response. “Do y’all even hear what ah’m sayin’? Answer me, damn it!” The voices seemed to carry on their conversation amongst each other as Engineer listened on. _“Over there, he is there.” “This is our only hope?” “Absolutely sure of it.” “What about the other one, where is the other one?” “Somewhere else, but I still believe they can do it.” “He knows about us?” “No, I do not think so.”_ Engineer glared as he spoke outward once again. “Ah’ swear ah’ can hear y’all talkin’ over there. Ah’ reckon you show yourselves now!” The voices were lowered this time as they continued, but Engineer wasted no time as he walked towards the sound. Maybe there were other people talking and probably could not hear him, but then why could they not hear Engineer? He trudged over as he heard the voices grow louder once more. _“We have been waiting for so long.” “Do not jinx us this time, we only have once chance.” “I cannot stand being stuck here forever.” “It is okay, we will be going home soon.” “How soon?” “Whenever they can find the way out, whatever it takes.” “I want to go home.” “I want to go home too.” “We will after they save us all.”_ Then, the voices started to retreat, causing Engineer to pick up speed as he broke into a run. “Hey!” He shouted. “Hey, ah’ know you can hear me!” However, the voices seemed to return to hushed whispers as they retreated into the darkness, leaving Engineer heaving as he ran to catch up with whatever was there. “Stop, stop ah’ tell ya!” He picked up his feet, listening as the voices disappeared, leaving nothing else. Engineer slowly came to a stop as he panted, placing his hands on his knees. His breath was heavy as he inhaled and exhaled, feeling the precious wind come back to him. His ears reached out to hear anything else, but there was nothing left but the silence again. “What in the hell is goin’ on here?” He managed to squeeze out of his mouth.

He bent down to catch his breath as he slowly sat on the ground. Engineer started to realize how exhausted he felt. It must have been hours without food or water, but he lost track from chasing the Spy around and getting into this hellhole. He sighed as he slowly laid on the ground, his eyes lowered as he managed to catch his breath. “Geez, ah’ never felt so tired in mah’ life.” Engineer closed his eyes for a moment as he felt the odd feeling reach him again. He sighed as he sat on the ground, feeling the nonexistent floor beneath him with no kind of temperature whatsoever. He could feel his bones aching from all the running he was doing from time to time, never getting a break. His lack of sleep was no help either since he was running on less than three hours of sleep each night from working on his invention. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if it was even worth the time, if it was worth going through all the trouble into making a machine that put them in danger and destroyed everything. Engineer moved his goggles up to reveal his eyes as he rubbed them with his fleshed hand, feeling them sting from the lack of sleep and exhaustion as he sighed, placing his goggles back in place. “What a day,” he muttered as he sat there like a log. He stayed silent for the moment, waiting to see if the voices would come back again. He believed he was not the only one that was trapped here, he heard them loud and clear (unless he was hallucinating), so how could they have not heard his calls and voice? Engineer sighed, taking his hat off his head, and rubbing the bald skin, closing his eyes. It sure was a long day for him, or whatever it was. He was upset about what happened to him but was also upset at how much he messed up for everyone. Wherever he was now could not have been the end to them, this place should lead somewhere, and it should lead to someplace rather than this dark hole of misery. For a while, the silence was killing him as he sat there in total silence, the lack of the voices feeding into his frustration. He can admit that he did not like the place at all and with the absence of people it was already killing him. He needed to find where they were coming from, but he could not put his finger as to where they went, especially since there was nothing else here. Perhaps they will come back, maybe they might lead him somewhere, to people, to shelter? Or maybe… doubts swept through his mind. Perhaps, the people were just an illusion, maybe he was hearing things from the lack of sleep he had for a while. Engineer shook his head. No, it could not be. He knows what he heard and what they were saying, and even that surprised him to a degree. He had no clue what the voices were saying and why they were so desperate to ‘go home’. However, his two hours of sleep was getting to him as he felt his eyes start to feel heavy for a moment. “Maybe ah’ do need some sleep,” he said as he started to lay on the ground, adjusting his position as he laid on his side. “Ah’ can figure this out once ah’ get some shut eye.” He placed his hardhat next to him as he laid his head on the blank surface, not caring about the texture or the lack of a pillow and blanket. His body seemed content as it laid still, finally getting the rest it deserved. Once he was satisfied, his eyes seemed to close in a slow movement as he gave a yawn before shutting his eyes and submitting to the dark world around him.

…

A faint whisper reached his ears as he mumbled in his sleep. He could barely make out the words, but the voice grew a bit louder, causing him to come out of his enchantment of sleep. His eyes slowly opened as he heard himself groan. The voice became a bit clear as he heard the words “hey” and “are you alright” reach his ear. Engineer slowly got up as he stretched and rubbed his eyes. “Now, what?” “My god man, how long have you been here for, well, if we can even tell the time.” Engineer’s eyes shot up as he came face to face with a man in front of him. Engineer let out a scream, causing the man to scream as well. Engineer quickly got up and fell back as the man looked in different directions. “What in the hell?!” Engineer immediately reached for his wrench, holding it out and aiming at the man. The man quickly scrambled back, but tripped on Engineer’s hardhat, causing him to fall on his back and land on the ground. “Woah man, take it easy there!” Sleep was gone from his system as Engineer was wide awake now, panting as his eyes laid on a man dressed in white. His skin was the color of beautiful hazelnut which contrasted with his stained white cloak and outfit. His hair was darker and braided in knots and loops that went down his back as his bright blue eyes scanned Engineer up and down. Engineer froze as he stared at the man, looking at him while the unknown man kept babbling. “Jesus, what the hell was that for?” Engineer sighed as he slowly lowered his weapon, keeping an eye on the man before him. The man sighed as Engineer placed his wrench on his side again, but still having a keen eye. “Who… are you?” The man placed his hands down as he calmed down. “You’re asking me who I am after trying to attack me?” “No man, ah’m sorry if ah’ scared ya’. Ah’ just didn’t know that there was someone else here in this… damn place,” Engineer said in a calm and slow voice. The man seemed to forget about his previous action as he is suddenly at Engineer’s side, placing an arm around his shoulder, causing Engineer to become surprised. “How in the hell did you get here-” “Boy, let me tell you! I see you found yourself in ‘The Realm’ like the others. Man, I’m so glad that we have another friend here. You know, you look kind of short for a dude. Like, I go over your head! Seriously, you should get your height checked. Anyway, I’m so glad that you’re here. We have more company now! And also, the name’s Elijah and I came from timeline T-64 but now I’m stuck in this place like the rest of these people and-” “Damn it, shut the hell up Scout-” Engineer stopped in his tracks as the man gave him a weird look. “Scout, what kind of name is that for a man?” Engineer paused as he processed what he said before rubbing his head. “Gee ah’m sorry, ah’ was thinking of someone else…” The man paused before giving a sincere smile. “Was it a buddy of yours that you remember?” “Yeah…” The man patted his back before Engineer walked over and grabbed his hardhat from the ground, placing it back on his head.

Then the man started to talk again. “Anyway, how in the world did you get here? You must have really destroyed your timeline before you came here.” Engineer slowly turned around at the man. “Destroyed my timeline? What in sam hill are you talkin’ about son?” The man gave him a surprised look. “Man, I can’t believe you don’t know what you did! You should’ve known what happened before you came here to this place-” “Son, stop it for a second,” Engineer said with a wave of his hand, causing the man to stop talking. This man was like dealing with Scout, only this time it was like a futuristic Scout. “You said somethin’ about destroyin’ a… timeline?” Before the man could speak, Engineer raised his hand. “Please, just get straight to the point son. Where am I and what does this place have to do with the timeline?” The man stared at him for a moment and glanced around, trying to find the right words before he spoke. “Well, ‘the realm’ is an empty space where space and time are absent. It’s basically a blank wall that exists between space and time. Not many people know it exists because you can’t find it… unless,” his expression lowered a bit, “not unless you’ve destroyed a timeline. How did you think you got here?” Engineer froze for a moment, processing the information in his head. “So, you’re tellin’ me that the only reason ah’m here is because the timeline is… gone?” “Yep, that’s the way all of us got here. We’ve all destroyed our own timelines, whether it was by mistake or on purpose. Now, we’re all stuck in this place forever.” Engineer gave an exasperated and shocked look. “Wait, what do you mean forever?” The man seemed to pause to think about what he was going to say next, not wanting to hurt the Southern man’s feelings or make him worry much about it. “Well… I-I mean… you don’t know about it, you don’t know about what you did?” Engineer was taken aback for a moment. “W-What ah did? No, there’s no w-way ah’ just destroyed mah’ entire timeline!” The man lowered his gaze for a moment before his eyes landed on Engineer’s wrist, eyeing the broken machine. The man pointed his finger towards the mechanism, causing Engineer to follow his gaze and raise his arm. “That thing,” the man said, “that is your time machine?” “Why, of course it is. Don’t y’all have somethin’ like this?” “Yeah, but yours looks like it was made from a dumpster.” Engineer rolled his eyes at his insult. “Oh yeah bud, and what about yours?” The man raised his arm as he pulled his sleeve back, revealing a panel buried into his skin. The panel had a broken screen on it with wires and cracks poking out of the skin, revealing circuits underneath. Engineer stared in awe at the contraption embedded into his arm, staring at the advanced and new technology coating underneath and over his skin. “Ours look like this, so you must come from a different timeline. Now that I think about it…” The man began to stare Engineer up and down. “You look different from us, your clothes look… out of fashion.” Engineer gawked at him. “Out of fashion, what the- Son, where ah’ come from this is the new look of the South!” Engineer shook his head. “Forget that, just tell me what ah’ did!” The man raised his hands at Engineer’s voice. “Woah man, calm down.”

Engineer took a deep breath before the man continued. “That time machine that you have there is the reason why you’re here. Whatever you did, it caused you to erupt the timeline by tearing a hole through space and time. When that happens, this hole starts to consume your timeline and eat everything from it, making you end up… here,” the man said as he indicated to the place around them. Engineer stayed silent for a moment, taking in the information. Engineer had no idea how to react at this, he felt like the whole world was gone from his grasp as he felt himself slowly sink to the ground. His head started to hurt from thinking about his entire world gone: Teufort, the team, his life, his home. Gone. All gone and never to return. He could not believe what he was hearing, and he could not bear to imagine what happened to the rest of them team. His mind started to swirl as he realized that his team was gone from existence. He left his friend all alone to just disappear in the end like the rest of his friends as they had no idea what was happening to them. Now, he was stuck in some place because of him because he failed to get things back to normal, and now he was facing the consequences of his actions that put all his family to doom. The man slowly kneeled next to him, feeling his distressed emotions. “Are you… alright?” Engineer clasped his hands on his hand as he felt himself mumbling words. The man leaned closer, unable to make out the words until Engineer begin to say “no, no, no” in small whispers. His hands cradled his head as he started to feel something come up… a breakdown. Engineer had never been like this before; he was a person who could handle a lot of stress during battle and out of battle. However, he started to break out into a sweat as his head began to spin, his chest heaving. The man starts to feel bad as he sees Engineer start to shake on the ground. “Um… hey man… you do know that’s not the end, right?” Engineer looks up at him as worry traced his features, making him look ill. “What in the hell do you mean… it’s over ain’t it? Ah lost everything,” he said in a quiet voice. The man rubbed the back of his head and gave a nervous laugh. “Well, not exactly. Sometimes the things from the timelines end up coming here.” Engineer froze for a moment before looking up and fully standing up. “You mean there’s ah chance mah friends might be here?” “Oh, sure bud, sometimes the timelines break apart and end up coming here. Sometimes I’ll be waiting and suddenly I find my stuff coming back here and other trinkets from other people’s things I guess.” Engineer grabbed the man by the shoulders. “Where can ah’ find these things comin’ here?” The man ushers him to calm down before speaking again. “Well, we’d have to go back to the base for me to show you.” Engineer gave him a look. “A… base, there’s a base ‘round here?” “Of course, there is, you’d think ‘the realm’ is just an empty space like the one you’re in? Heavens, no!” The man laughed as he beckoned Engineer to follow him. The man turned around and dug into his pocket, taking out a piece of rope in his hands. He whipped it once, causing the rope to glow and create a glowing white path that led straight through the dark abyss. Engineer was taken aback as the man turned around. “Follow me, I can show you to our base.”

Engineer and Elijah continued to walk down the darkness as Engineer asked him a few questions. “So, this place,” he said, “is there any way to get out of this thing?” “Not really… er… not yet at least. We’re all trying to figure out how to get out of here. We almost made a way to get out of this timeline, but somehow, we’re stuck on a few things. It’s easy to get here, but it’s hard to get out. Like I said, not many people are aware about ‘the realm’ until their timeline is destroyed. Then, they just end up here in this place and don’t know where to go. That’s why, the team sends me to pick up guys like you that find themselves here. God knows how long we’ve been here so far. Hey, did I ever tell you my name? It’s Elijah, oh wait, I think I already told you. Well, now you can have it memorized because you’re sticking around for a long, long time buddy. Anyway, you’ll love the people over here, they’re pretty great. What year were you from again? I don’t think you told me yet.” Engineer groaned as the man continued babbling on as they followed the string. Engineer covered his head deeper into his hat as the man filled his chest with more air and shot off another ramble. He felt like he met another Scout, which kind of made him feel bad since he was sort of missing the poor guy. At least he was still alive while he was walking around in this place. Engineer had to wonder what it was like for the team to disappear and cease to exist forever. The thought made him guilty for what he did, knowing that he caused this accident to begin with. It did seem unfair, or maybe he was just living his punishment in having to live while everyone else died. If that was the case, then he would have to accept the consequences of his actions. He should have realized what he was getting into the moment he built that time machine, he wish there was at least a warning button, or maybe there was and he decided to ignore the possibilities and scenarios that would have happened had he not been careful in the first place. Even with Spy messing around and stealing the other one, time was still a dangerous game to play in the world. Engineer was deep in thought and did not pay attention as Elijah called out to get his attention. “Hey, Southern man. Helloooo,” he said. Engineer snapped out of it as he looked up. “Man, you sure don’t pay attention a lot.” They arrived at what appeared to be a black wall; however, it had a white outline from the side, giving the shape of a doorway being slightly opened. Engineer glanced down to see the string leading through the small crack in the doorway. “Where are we?” He asked the man. “We’re going into a part of ‘the realm’ where everyone is.” Elijah opens the door, opening it to reveal plain white light flooding into the darkness. Before he took a step in, he turned his head back. “You might feel dizzy for a few seconds, but you’ll get used to it.” With that, he stepped through the doorway and disappeared. Engineer stood there for a moment before he reached his hand out towards the doorway. His hand disappeared into the light as Engineer hesitated before he slowly stepped into the light until his full body disappeared, the door shutting behind him as he left the room of darkness.

…

Engineer felt his eyes shut as he continued to walk through the door, feeling white consume his body as he heard Elijah telling him to keep moving. The sensation from the light was odd, giving him prickling feelings throughout his body. He felt himself feeling weightless for a moment until the light disappeared. “Alright, we’re here!” Engineer slowly opened his eyes as he was greeted by the sight of multiple walls covered in green coding. The coding seemed to be multiple numbers and symbols moving at lightning speed as it lined the walls. The most bizarre thing about the place was that there were multiple doors surrounding the area. Some were tilted and reached the ceiling while others hung upside down. “What in the world?” “Welcome to ‘the realm’,” the man said as he waved his hands open. “What’s up with all these doors?” Engineer asked. “Well, each door leads to a different place in ‘the realm’,” he said as he started to walk. “I’ll give you a tour of this place.” Engineer slowly followed behind as he glanced at the walls. “What are these things?” “We’re not so sure what these things means on the walls, but we can assume their time itself moving erratically since time and space doesn’t exist here.” “So, what you’re sayin’ is that this is just an empty space in the space-time continuum?” “Man, you’re one smart guy,” said Elijah as he slapped a hand on his back, causing Engineer to jolt. Engineer rubbed his back as the man continued to talk. “Anyway, each of these doors connect to a different part of ‘the realm’. Sometimes, we find junk and stuff that ends up here from a dead timeline or whatever the case may be.” “Is that how you found me?” Engineer asked the man, who scratched his head and stretched his arms out. “Not really, I sort of knew you were there.” Engineer raised his eyebrow. “What do you mean, son?” “Whenever someone finds themselves here, we get like a sixth sense. We just follow it until it gets stronger and then we see which door you came from and then we just find you. ‘The realm’ is really a strange place.” Engineer rubbed his chin in thought as he figured out the information given to him. “So, you said there were other folks here with ya?” “For sure! We have many people with us: Abigail, Nova, Zaiden, Artemis, Azriel-” “Ah’ get it son, ah’ get it,” Engineer said, interrupting him before he went off on another rant. Elijah shrugged his shoulders as he approached a door marked with red paint. “This is where the crew hangs out,” Elijah said. Engineer nods his head. “Now, don’t feel intimidated by Nova, she’s a really tough cookie. Also, Azriel is sort of… off. They had a hard time with this thing, they’ve been here longer than all of us had, so…” “Yeah, ah’ get it,” Engineer said. Elijah gives a smile before he opens the door.

The door reveals a large room covered in objects floating around the room. Some chairs were hanging upside down while trinkets and other things were slowly moving through the air. Engineer noticed there were people scattered about, hanging around in different spots. Some of them looked up at them and immediately noticed Engineer, while some continued to do their usual things, not acknowledging them. “Hey guys, I found another one!” Elijah shouted, grabbing everyone’s attention. A young girl with blue eyes and blonde hair was sitting on a block but stood up as she saw them. “Whos’ the man?” She asked, her doe eyes staring at the Texan. “This is er…” Elijah turned to Engineer. “Mah’ name’s Engie, but ah’ guess ah’ also go by Dell.” “That’s a funny name,” the little girl says as she giggled a bit. Engineer gave a soft chuckle. “That’s Abigail,” Elijah said. Then, he pointed to a woman sitting far away, playing around with a music box. “That over there is Nova, she can be… something?” Elijah felt hesitant as Nova chose to ignore his comment, focusing on the trinket in her hand. Engineer noticed there was a figure in the corner of the room, sitting on a chair and staring at an empty wall. They seemed to be wearing dark clothes with a small hood over there head, but there was something white pressed against its face. Elijah noticed Engineer staring at the figure. “Oh, that’s Azriel. They don’t usually talk much. Well, they don’t talk at all.” “Are they always like that?” “I suppose so,” Elijah said in a low voice. “They’ve always been like that since we’ve shown up, so they just sit there all day. I don’t know, but I think they must’ve really messed up something to be like that.” Engineer stared at the unmoving figure, who stood like a statue. “Are you sure the fellas alive?” Elijah nodded. “Of course, sometimes they get up to move around, but they usually sit like that through most of the day. I mean… if there even is a day here.” Engineer turned to Elijah. “So, have you all figured out how to get out of here.” Elijah gave him a look before giving a small laugh. “Anxious to get out already? Geez, and we only just met.” Engineer gave him a confused look. “Look son, ah’ just want to get out of here and go back home. There must be some way to fix this, right?” The room seemed to grow silent as Nova moved from her spot. She had an emotionless look on her face as she set the music box down, striding over to Engineer and Elijah. The woman stood in front of Engineer. “In case you didn’t get it through your skull,” she said in a monotone voice, causing Engineer to freeze. “No one ever gets out of here. You’re only here because you screwed over everyone in your timeline. Now, you stay here like the rest of us. There is no getting out of this place and there is no way to reverse the mess you made.” “Well, have you tried?” Engineer asked, causing the woman to chuckle. “Oh please, you think I’m that stupid? We’ve all tried to get out of this mess, but none of us can get out of here. This is a dead end; this is where we belong now. So, you better get used to it.” She turned away and walked back to her place, taking a seat as she fumbled with the music box. Engineer didn’t like the feeling of staying here for long. He already saw how some people were miserable here, but the only two people who seemed slightly optimistic about it were Elijah and little Abigail. It seemed that all these people suffered the same fate as he did. However, there must have been a way out of here, there must be a way to reverse the effects, but how? As it is, it seemed he was going to be a one-man army to figure out this place. If he could build a time machine, what stops him from building another contraption to clean this mess up? But, how could he work in a place that has random things coming through and a place where time doesn’t even exist anymore?

Then, a realization came to his head. “Um, Elijah,” he said to the man. “What’s up bud?” “You said that some things end up here from the timelines?” “Sure is, where do you think these objects come from? Sometimes they end up here once in a while, but that’s usually on occasion. As a matter of fact, we just got that music box not too long ago,” he said, pointing to where Nova was. “So, does that mean people from other timelines end up here too?” Elijah thought for a moment. “Well, I would see why not. But we haven’t gotten anyone coming here from other timelines, but I can say that there might be a possibility, but it would be a rare case.” Engineer nodded as he rubbed his chin with his hand. “If you’re thinking about a plan, you’re wasting your time,” Nova said from across the room. “If you’re thinking of finding your friends here, you can forget it. I’m pretty sure no one survives the timeline when it gets destroyed. Your friends and family are most likely dead by now.” Elijah gave a nervous laugh. “Come on Nova, let the man breathe for a while.” Nova rolled her eyes as she propped her legs up on another chair. “Sure, let’s hide the truth from everyone.” Elijah sighed as Nova returned to her state. “Anyway, I’m sure you can settle down and enjoy your time here.” Engineer sighed as he turned to the people in the room. Some seemed to have low and depressed faces and he could understand why. Engineer glanced around the room, seeing less coding on the walls, yet they were still moving at the same speed as before. He glanced at his watch a few times, observing the wires and the screen. He kept thinking of how long it would take until the rest of the timeline would arrive here. If objects could end up here, then people must end up here as well. Engineer glanced at the door as he decided to leave and wander around the halls of doors. If he was going to stay here for a long time, then might as well explore the place. One thing was for sure; he was not going to stay here forever. He was sure that he was going to find a way out, no matter how long it took. He was going to find a way to get out of here and find a way to reverse time to redeem himself and to save his friends. Every engineer and every scientist start somewhere and encounter problems.

He opened the door, finding himself in the halls of doors again. Engineer glanced around, looking at the different doors. He shut the one behind him as he stepped down and walked along the place. Another thing he started to notice was that some of the doors were in different colors and sizes. There was one door he past that was pure green, but it was too small for him to fit through. “Probably the little girl could fit that,” he thought. Engineer found himself at a metal-looking door. “Ah guess ah should start lookin’ at what’s in here,” he said as he started to open the door. The door opened to reveal all sorts of old junk. There was old paper scattered about and blotches of ink everywhere on the ground and on paper. On top of that, there were old carved desks of wood and old Victorian chairs scattered around. A swirling hole appeared in the middle as it spat out Victorian furniture as it hit the ground and disappeared. “Geez, ah’ guess all these doors must hold different timelines or somethin’. This place looks like Scout’s room.” Engineer closed the door again before continuing his exploration. He found himself slowly walking and observing the doors and the coding. He started to think that each door had a different thing in it from a different time. If that was the case, then there might be a chance that the Renaissance period could be here, then there may be a chance (y/n) could find herself. Hell, if he could find his timeline in general, he could find the team. Engineer could not help but looking at the coding through the wall, watching it flash back and forth between each switch, to fast for his eyes to keep up with. “Golly, this sure can give ya a seizure,” he muttered as he glanced at another door. This door seemed to be a wooden frame door with pale wood. He opened it, but immediately ducked his head, feeling an object skim his hardhat before falling on the floor behind him. “What in God’s name?” He turned around to see a small paintbrush laying on the floor. Engineer’s heart fluttered with hope as he turned to see the room. Sure enough, the room had small paintbrushes littering the floor with some normal furniture. However, the room showed no signs of people. There were paint buckets that scattered the floor and floated throughout the room with paint pouring out from the impact. “This could be the timeline,” he said as he scanned about. Then again, he also wanted to explore other rooms. He walked in and placed his fingers on the red paint, gathering up a good amount before he walked out and closed the door. He traced the hard wood and created a red ‘x’ in the middle. Engineer continued his search, making sure to mark any door that felt important to him. Maybe if the time were right, the paint room could spit out (y/n) if she made it through. He was hoping that was the case, he sure hoped that (y/n) would come through and land in the room, wondering where she was, but it wouldn’t matter because he was there and at least they could stick together until the rest of the team showed up. Yet, Engineer had a few doubts. He listened to what the woman said about no one coming through. Besides, Engineer just got here while these people have been here for a long time. Engineer thought of other ways he could fix things. Basically, there was a hole in time and space in his timeline. As he’s thinking, the black hole is busy consuming his timeline. By now, it already consumed his team, which made him feel a little sad. In this place, time doesn’t exist; but what if he could rebuild the time machine into a device that could create time in ‘the realm’? If he created time, then he could reverse the effects of the timeline, which means he could sew the hole back up if he got everything just right. Then, everything would be back to normal and they could go back home.

Engineer was interrupted as his body slammed into a door in front of him, causing him to hit his face and fall on his back. “Dag nabit!” He yelled as he rubbed his nose, which throbbed in pain from the impact. Engineer slowly got up and noticed that he came across a strange door. It was a pure white door with a few designs engraved throughout. The unusual yet pretty door made Engineer forget his pain as he looked at the carvings. It was as if someone took a thin needle and carefully carved the door inch by inch. The designs were small and delicate, as if they were recently there. He slowly reached his hand out and felt the carvings with his ungloved hand, feeling the texture beneath his flesh. It felt… nice. A sense of relief flooded his body as he felt himself at ease. Somehow, the door seemed to give him some sort of relief, almost like it was calming him down. Engineer continued to feel the carvings, realizing the door was made from marble. “Pretty nice,” he mumbled. His shoulders relaxed as his once tense body was now at rest. Engineer noticed his relaxed and calm state, but he didn’t seem to mind. Somehow, this door seemed to calm him down, but he didn’t know why. Either he was starting to go insane, or the door had a magical touch to it. As if the door wasn’t enough, he started to hear low and hushed whispers coming to his ears again. It was like the whispers he heard before in the dark room before they disappeared. It was too low to hear what they were saying, but it was calming as his limbs begin to feel like jelly. He could feel the voices reach to his head as they eased his emotions, his tension, his frustration. However, he began to feel something odd about the new… feeling. His mind was swirling around, his eyes started to focus in on the door before him as his thoughts began to feel hazy. His judgement seemed to be somewhere else as he felt weightless again, feeling the whispers grow louder. If he were his normal self, he would have ripped away from the door and walked off, but he felt that he was attached to the door, as if it was showing him something. Then, Engineer was taken by surprise as the door seemed to move. It started to sway slowly from side to side until it looked like it was fading away. Engineer was confused, not knowing what was happening as the voices began to fade away as well. The walls began to disappear as the ground below him faded, revealing the dark room again. He felt himself floating and he had no idea what was going on. He didn’t know where he was, or if this was some sort of dream. Perhaps he had fallen asleep or maybe he was just hallucinating, but it all felt so real to him. Finally, all went silent as he floated there, looking around the place. “What in the hell is goin’ on?!” He finally managed to speak, wanting to get out of this place right away. But then, he heard something. He heard a distinct voice that grabbed his attention as his face became one of shock.

_“Hello?”_

“(y/n)?!” He exclaimed as he looked around the place, finding out where the voice was coming from? “(y/n) are ya there?! Where are ya darlin’? Hold on, ah’m coming!” He started to move around until he felt the place shaking. He looked around, seeing the place rumble as he started to frantically look for the voice. “(y/n), (y/n) ah’m here! Say somethin’ again! (y/n)!” Then, he felt himself falling. Engineer started to feel himself fall as the world around him grew longer, as if he were falling through a black hole and never to return. He let one final cry out as he felt himself falling deeper and deeper into nothing. “(y/n)!”

“Dude, wake up!” Engineer felt someone shaking him as he came back to the world. His eyes started to adjust as he blinked a few times. “Man, wake up this isn’t some dream is it?” Engineer felt his hat moving around as he looked up and saw Elijah shaking him nonstop. “Alright, cut it out son!” Engineer said as he placed his hands on his arms. “Oh, you’re awake! Good.” Engineer gave him a look as Elijah let out a sigh of relief. “What happened?” Engineer asked. Elijah sighed as he looked at the door in front of them. “Well, I guess you already know about that door huh? You seem to already have good connections with it already.” Engineer gave him a look of “what are you talking about, the door must be on drugs” look. “What… but the door-” “You know not many people can do that, it’s pretty amazing what you were able to do! God, I wish I could do that so I could see my family again-” “Hold on a minute, damn!” Engineer shouted as Elijah completely stopped talking. “What in the hell was that, what the hell is that thing?!” Engineer asked, pointing at the door. “Mah’ friend is alive, ah’ think my friend’s in there! Ah’ heard them, ah’ know ah’ did!” Before Engineer could open the door, Elijah grabbed his arm, causing him to look back at him. Elijah shook his head. “That door is not what you think,” he said. “What in sam hill do you mean?” Elijah sighed. “The things you were hearing were other timelines. This door seems to be the key in communicating through other timelines. Sometimes, we start to hear the whispers and the voices of others when we come near the door, didn’t you?” Engineer gave a slow nod. “None of us have come close to figuring out this door, but we have a clue that it might be a way to communicate with others here, though we’re not sure how it works. Not many of us have come close to hearing other people like you just did. You said you heard your friend, yes?” “Ah’ did… ah’ think…” Engineer drifted off, now wondering if he really did hear (y/n) on the other side. Elijah gave a soft smile. “Well, if you would like to see how far you can go, you can go in the room for yourself. You might get lucky to find someone, but don’t get too bummed out if you can’t.” Engineer glanced at the door again, looking at the carvings and the white marble. Elijah gestured for him to open the door, causing Engineer to slowly place his hand on the handle. “Ah’ know what ah’ heard,” he thought, “ah’ definitely heard (y/n) on the other side.” Though, he seemed hesitant. Another part of his mind was saying that it was all just a dream, just part of his imagination; yet another part was saying that it was real and if what Elijah said was true, then that means (y/n) was still alive somehow in another timeline, which was strange. If (y/n) were in another timeline, how could she have gotten there without a time machine? “If you would like,” Elijah said, “I can wait outside if that makes you comfortable.” “Ah’ would appreciate that son,” Engineer said as he slowly turned the handle. He started to open the door, revealing a small and white room.

Engineer glanced around, taking in the details of the room. The floor and walls were pure white and there were more carvings along the edges with the same design as the door. The whole room seemed to be made of shiny and cut marble as Engineer ran his hands along the walls, feeling the smooth texture and the carved areas. Elijah slowly closed the door behind him, hearing the door shut behind him. Engineer continued to the front of the room, his boots hitting the ground and creating the only sound in the room. He glanced around, seeing the designs stretching along the walls and swirling in many patterns. He could say that the room was one of the most beautiful rooms he has ever seen in his life. There must have been a lot of rooms like this around the world, but he was used to living in an Arizona desert with concrete walls and wooden forts, so seeing this was a treat. Engineer slowly walked until he was at the center of the room. He felt the need to sit down as he felt the hard surface of the ground, adjusting himself until he was lounging on the ground, his hands hanging from his knees. He sighed as he sat in the room, waiting for anything to happen. He grabbed his hardhat and placed his it down next to him as he rubbed his head. He rubbed back and forth, feeling small stubble hair growing from his head. “Ah’ could probably find a razor or somethin’ to shave it off,” he said as he waited. Though, he had no idea what he was waiting for. He was probably waiting to get the feeling of calmness or the whispers that he heard before. Whatever it was, he just wanted to hear (y/n) again. It was clear that she made it out alive, but he had no idea to get to her. If he could communicate with her, that would give him so relief. He needed to know where she was and what she was doing right now. Engineer sat in the room, waiting patiently as he tapped his knee. He stared at the wall in front of him, looking at the paths from the texture and taking in the designs. There was nothing else in this room, which made him wonder why this was a pathway if there weren’t any holes that left junk here. It looked as if the other rooms could serve as a portal or some sort of pathway to other timelines than this one. In the meantime, nothing was happening. There were no voices in his head, no hushed whispers or anything turning dark. It all felt blank rather than absorbing him into the feeling again. He didn’t know what else to do, he didn’t know if he was supposed to do something that initiated it, or if he was supposed to wait for something to happen on its own. Engineer felt like minutes were passing, but then again, he couldn’t tell since there was no time in this place. He sighed as he got frustrated, looking at the ground, which was causing him pain from sitting on the floor for a while. Finally, het got up as he kicked the ground. “This is ridiculous,” he said in frustration, “how long am ah’ supposed to wait here to find mah’ friends. This whole thing has been a waste of time, why can’t ah’ just see (y/n)? Ah’ know she’s there somewhere, damn it!” He started to move back towards the door, stomping all the way. “God, all ah’ want is to see if (y/n) is okay and see if she is safe where she is. The poor gal’s got a lot on her plate, plus me makin’ things worse, and destroyin’ everyone’s lives! Ah’m tired of it; if this damn room ain’t gonna show me, then ah’ll just look for (y/n) myself!” He grabbed the handle and twisted it, opening the door. “This room is a joke, son-”

Engineer was taken aback at the sight of nothing. “What in the world?!” There was nothing but a black wall in front of him. There was no Elijah, no hall of doors, nothing. Engineer reached his hand out to feel, but the door was blocked by a wall. “Hey, Elijah! Son, what’s goin’ on?!” He slammed at the wall that felt like concrete. “Hey, this better be no joke!” However, no one responded from the other side. Suddenly, he turned around only to gasp and slam his back against the wall. The lustrous room before him was now replaced with the dark and empty room, the black walls caving in and replacing the white marble designs. He threw himself off the wall and turned around but gawked as the door behind him disappeared. “What the hell?!” Engineer glanced around, wondering where the door went. “What is goin’ on here?” Engineer glanced around the place, remembering that he was back in the previous room before he was found. He slowly looked around, looking for anything around him. He went to take a step forward, only for him to feel nothing. He looked down and realized that there was no more ground beneath him. Suddenly, he felt himself floating in the middle of the darkness. He scrambled as he kept himself balanced, still confused and afraid of what was going on. “Dag nabit, someone help me!” His form was suspended in the air as he heard the whispers start up again. “What the hell?! Anyone!” Rather than welcome the whispers like last time, he covered his ears. “No, cut it out! Cut it out now!” He was afraid as the whispers grew louder and louder instead. Still, they were mumbles and jumbles of words he could not understand as he felt himself sweating and shaking. Then, some of the whispers started to call him name. _“Engineer…” “Engineer…”_ “Who in the hell said that?” Engineer turned himself around, looking for anyone else in the room. Suddenly, the voices disappear as one voice echoed through the room. _“Shhh…”_ Engineer froze as he heard the voice, listening closely. He was relieved that the whispers stopped, but now he was afraid of what was going to happen next. “H-Hello?” He has in a small voice. _“Do not be afraid,”_ said the voice, _“I want you to relax, breathe, and stay calm.”_ “Who are you, where are you?” _“It does not matter,”_ said the voice, _“just listen to me. Stay calm, take in the feeling, relieve the tension, calm yourself if you want to find the thing you need.”_ Engineer felt uneasy about the new voice. He could not make out whether it was a male or female, nor did he recognize the voice belonging to anyone, but one thing was for sure: whatever this thing was, it started to make him feel relaxed. Engineer started to feel all his worries leave his mind as his body eased and relaxed, his limbs started to hang from him as they floated along. His mind started to go clear as it emptied out all the negative things, all the fear that he had. His muscles felt relaxed and soft as he let himself float in the air. He started to sigh as the tension washed away and the voice praised him. _“Good Engineer… good…”_ “Who are you?” Engineer asked, surprised at his calm voice. _“I am the one who will help you, I am the one that will show you the way.”_ Engineer was confused as to what he meant. “Are you the room, are you going to show me my friend?” The voice seemed to chuckle. _“You are close, but no, I am not exactly the room. I am, what you would say, a guardian. This place is my home, I look after this place and the inhabitants of it. As for your friend, that is up to you to find them. I can lead you, but I cannot help you. You must find them for yourself using your own mind, your own power.”_ “W-What power… ah’ thought the room connected me to (y/n).” _“The room is only a way to connect, but it is you who can find them.”_

Engineer was taken aback by the response. “How in the world am ah’ gonna do that?” There was no other response after that. “Hey, weird voice guardian. Are ya there?” He was only greeted with silence. “Darn, how the hell am ah’ supposed to do this?” Then, Engineer started to think about (y/n) again, thinking about where she was. Engineer fell as he hit the ground, the impact sounding throughout the room. “Ow, what the hell?” He slowly hoisted himself from the ground. “Dag nabit,” he muttered as he rubbed his head. Suddenly, he heard a small voice. _“Great…”_ Engineer’s ears perked up as he looked around the room. “(y/n)?” The voice sounded louder. _“Might as well stick to equations…”_ Engineer’s chest lifted as he recognized the voice. “(y/n), where are ya?” He started to look around. The voice seemed near as he heard it again. “I have to find a way out of here…” The voice echoed throughout the room as Engineer stood there, calling out. “(y/n), can yah hear me?” Suddenly, he felt a presence. He felt that there was someone there with him. At first, he thought it was just a trick of his mind. Then, he could feel something… no… someone brush against his arm, as if they were passing by. “Who’s there?” He called out, looking around the room. Suddenly, the room began to move around him. Engineer quickly glanced around, seeing the walls start to disappear as they revealed some sort of lab. The white walls greeted his eyes as desks and papers scattered everywhere. Engineer glanced as the room became clear to him. One thing that caught his eye was a huge contraption in the room that was standing tall, almost like a portal. However, Engineer looked closely at it, seeing that it was more to it. “That could be the way out…” he thought. Then, he heard voices appearing from a doorway. He looked behind him to see a group of scientists talking as they walked out of another room. Engineer froze as they walked towards him, but they didn’t seem to notice him. “Hey, uh… you folks, hey! Ah’m right here-” Suddenly, they walked through him, causing him to step back. “What in the world?” The people ignored him as they made their way out of the lab. A rustle could be heard coming from the other side, causing Engineer to snap his head in the direction. Then, his eyes widen as the figure revealed itself from the desk. “(y/n)!” Engineer exclaimed as (y/n) appeared and started to look around the room. _“Might as well stick to equations,”_ she said as she looked around, moving papers from the desk as she looked through them. Engineer could not contain his excitement as he called her out. “(y/n), it’s me! I’m so glad you’re alive darlin’!” He ran to her and reached his arms out, but she went straight through him; but the action seemed to do something to her. _“What the hell?!” (y/n)_ quickly looked around, feeling chills running down her spine. Engineer paused for a moment, looking at (y/n)’s reaction. “(y/n),” he said, “don’t you see me? Come on, you at least gotta see me.” (y/n) looked around the room, an anxious look on her face. _“Hm… maybe it’s the air conditioning.” (y/n)_ started to walk around the portal, examining it. Engineer slowly walked over to her and stared at her form. There was so much joy in him as he gave a big smile, glad to see that (y/n) was still okay. He looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was. He looked back at (y/n), seeing her in top shape as she glanced around. Engineer was glad that she was okay and made it out, at least he had someone left that was there. He slowly took her in, seeing her messy clothes and her messy hair. She looked like she was running away and trying to figure out what to do. Engineer slowly approached her, standing in front of her. He looked at her face, a face that showed bravery and hardship as he slowly reached his hand out to her. He noticed there was a small strand of hair and he wanted to move it out of the way, but he knew that he could not. The realization that he could not touch her made him feel sad again. Then, (y/n) perked her head up, staring at him. Engineer felt hope in his chest, almost like she was staring and knowing that he was there. Her eyes wandered around the room, scanning the area. _“What the hell is going on…”_ Then, her face lowered to the ground. _“Is there something wrong with me?”_ Engineer shook his head. “No sweet pea, ah’m here now. Ah’m here and you need to help me get out of here. We’re gonna get out of here together and go back home.”

(y/n) stopped as she stared back in his direction, staring into his eyes. Yet, Engineer knew that she was aware that there was someone there, a presence of his form. Engineer reached out and tried to grab her hand, though he went right through it. (y/n) could feel something as her face slightly scrunched up. Then, (y/n) shook it off as she headed back to her task. “I have to find someway to get Engineer back, if only I had another time machine or something to help me for god sake!” Engineer gave a sad smile as (y/n) wandered around the desks, reading through papers for any clues. “Ah’ know (y/n), ah’m workin’ on it too.” Suddenly, (y/n) started to fade away, causing Engineer to gape. “Wait, now wait a minute!” The room started to fade as the walls started to melt away, leaving (y/n) to become a fading spirit. “(y/n)!” He started to run towards her, but felt himself suddenly start to fall, the ground disappearing from beneath him as he started to feel the rush of wind. “(y/n)!” He called out as he fell deeper and deeper into the depths of the room. The light that came from the lab started to disappear as he saw her face one last time before his eyes shut from the wind as he waited for impact…

…

Engineer gasped as he fell to the ground on his back, glancing up at the white marble walls. His chest heaved up and down as his eyes darted in different directions. He managed to hit his hardhat, which flew away and hit the right wall. He glanced around as he felt his breathing settle down. He was hoping that the room would appear again, that (y/n) would appear before him to see him, to realize he was there, to talk to him and tell him that she was okay. But there was nothing but silence from the room that surrounded him. Engineer sighed as he slowly got up and walked over to grab his hardhat. He picked it up from the floor and placed it on his head. He glanced at the wall as he sighed. “Ah’ll fix this, (y/n),” he said, “if ah’ can make a time machine, then ah’ sure as hell can make a gate to come get you.” However, Engineer knew one thing: he was going to need someone to help him if he was going to connect this place to another timeline. He knew that (y/n) was going to have to help him into building a wormhole to connect them together. It would have been tricky, but the portal that he saw in the lab made sure that they were a few steps away from creating a gateway. Engineer rubbed his face, feeling the small stubble forming. A doubt formed in his head: (y/n) knew nothing about engineering or building anything like he did, so how was she going to do it? She would have to find a way to activate the portal and route it to ‘the realm’, but to do that they would have to find it first. Engineer sighed as he made his way out the door. When he opened it, Elijah was there on the ground, playing around with a pencil. The of the door caught his attention as he looked up. “Oh, how did it go?” He asked as he started to stand. “Ah’ saw mah’ friend.” Elijah started to smile as he gripped his fists. He started to jump around Engineer. “Oh my god, you did it! You actually did it! Wait until I tell the others!” Before Engineer could say anything else, the man took off running down the hall, shouting the same thing again. Engineer closed the door as he though about what to do next. He stared at the marble door as his mind carried him away. “If ah’m goin’ to figure this out, ah’ need (y/n) to help me. There must be some way ah’ for her to notice me… some way…” He started to walk down the hall, following the man as the door behind him glowed for a split second before returning to its normal position.

…

(y/n) held her breath for a moment as she stood still in the spot. She felt something brush against her arm, almost as if someone were there. She turned around only to find only herself in the room. Her brows furrowed as her skin begin to feel cold. (y/n) glanced down as she stood still as she started to have a familiar feeling. Her ears picked up a faint sound, but it was so small that she could not distinguish it. At first, she thought there was someone calling her out, but it seemed impossible since she knew she was the only one here. “That is strange,” she thought as she glanced around one last time. (y/n) had no idea what was poking her mind, but she knew something felt off about the room. The strangest part about it was that it felt familiar, as if she were attached to the presence. Her eyes wandered to the portal in the middle of the room as she stared at it. She stared at the contraption, observing the details and the architecture. Then, she felt herself zoning out as she continued to stare at it. She felt herself slowly walking towards the contraption as she reached out for it. She had no idea what was going on or why she was doing this, but it just felt odd yet… so familiar. (y/n) could not put the nail on the head, but it was as if she knew something… or someone. As her hand softly brushed against the thing, she started to hear hushed whispers in her head. Her mind seemed to place her in a hazy state as her eyes started to zoom out of focus, the voices whispering in her head. (y/n) questioned what was going on, but she did not react as intended to. She felt herself soothed by the voices as they pulled her in, whispering in her ears and playing with her mind. (y/n) gave in as she stood there, slowly swaying side to side. Part of her conscious was screaming at her to snap out of it, to get back to her senses and to get out of here, but another part was telling her that the portal was trying to say something to her, it was trying to show her the answers, a clue to ‘the realm’. (y/n) found herself in a stagnant state, surrounding herself in the voices. Then, the presence disappears, allowing the voices to dissipate as (y/n) snapped out of her trance. “What the hell happened…” she said as she stared at herself. Her eyes gained focus as she stared at the portal in front of her. “The hell…” she repeated, slowly walking away from the contraption. She could not understand what happened, but one thought came to her head: that portal was trying to show her something. (y/n) slowly placed a hand on the portal again, but nothing happened, making her confused. She did not understand why it was not working anymore. She could not make out the words that were being said, but the presence… it left her wondering. It was as if she knew who it was, as if someone was reaching out to her.

Footsteps were heard as she froze, staring at the closed entrance. She wasted no time as she ran to the desk again and hid underneath it, waiting as the footsteps stopped near the door. (y/n) silently listened to the voices speaking outside. “Did you find the girl yet?” “No, she couldn’t have made it that far. She doesn’t know her way around the place, so we should easily find her.” “Well, we would have found her about now don’t you think?” “I suppose so.” “God, I could have gone home had it not been for this brat.” (y/n) deadpanned. “Well, you won’t be able to kill this one. The commander wants this one alive.” “Oh Christ, why would the commander want the prisoner alive? If a prisoner escapes, we need to terminate them for good. If they know too much about the project-” A slap was heard as one of the guards groaned. “Quiet, you fool. Do you want us to be terminated? They can’t know that we suspect something going on.” (y/n) raised her eyebrows. “What’s this?” She thought as she toned in. “Come on, you and I know that something is going on here. That commander, she is up to something. I never trusted her in the first place anyway and neither did you.” “Quiet down, you know that if someone hears us, we’re goners.” “So, there’s no one here. Everyone left to the main lab to start the old project.” “You mean the one about ‘the realm’?” There was a pause before one of them spoke again. “The commander believes that they can connect to ‘the realm’ and fix this whole place up.” Laughter could be heard. “There’s no way to make it there. The commander is only doing this to buy herself more time. I bet she’s making a plan to escape as usual. You remember the old scandal they were trying to cover up, don’t you? The one with that guy Minerva? You know the real reason why he was terminated, right?” “What do you mean?” “The council didn’t cancel the project because it was a waste; they cancelled it because something went wrong in the lab.” “What happened?” “They say that the commander was working with the guy until she accidentally set off an explosion that caused a rip through multiple timelines. Somehow, she managed to cover the tracks and put the blame on the poor guy. The council called for immediate termination.” “But how do you know it was her?” “Oh please, it’s not the first time she threw someone under the bus to cover her mistakes. And the others who were there with her? They mysteriously disappeared, which I hardly believed. I think she got her mother to take them out. You know, her mother is one of the council members, right?” “I see your point, but this time her little mother isn’t going to save her now. She’s up for termination now.” “Not unless she’s planning something else. I don’t know why she would want to start the project over again if it failed.” “Because she messed up this time.” “I heard that two frauds messed up their own timeline, but I guess some people here were also affected. Apparently, the prisoner is responsible for it, so I don’t know why the commander would want her alive? We should just kill her and be done with it.” “You know we can’t do that. We’ll be terminated for disobeying the commander.” “Well, we could make it look like an accident.” “Hmm…” (y/n) froze. “I suppose we could. But the prisoner must have other information about what happened. I heard that the two did something to the timeline. But… I think that commander had something to do with it too.” “You think so?” “Of course, there’s no way these two people could have destroyed their entire timeline. It would take more than just a measly time machine to cause that much damage.” “You think that woman did it?” “I think the lady was messing around or something. Like I said, she will take any opportunity to get out of trouble.” “Well, we better start looking for the brat before we get our asses kicked.”

(y/n) could hear the retreating footsteps as she slowly came out of her spot. She immediately placed her hands on the desk after hearing the information. She thought about what they were talking about and she had a feeling she knew who the woman was. That woman was keeping her alive for one reason: she was the original and that was all. “Shit, I have to be careful. Apparently, she’s a con artist.” (y/n) started to have doubts about this woman. That also made her think about the real reason their timeline was gone. “So, if we weren’t responsible for the time collapse, then someone else was?” (y/n) was trying to fit the pieces together. From what she could tell, the woman was trying to fix this mess. “But she’s probably going to put the blame on someone else,” she thought. “But if Engineer and I had nothing to do with the timeline, then someone else destroyed it?” (y/n) was confused. She knew what she saw, she saw the tunnels get worse and worse the more they traveled. “There’s no way someone else could’ve messed up the timeline. Even Engineer said that it was unstable the more we used it. We were the only ones using the time machines… unless…” Then, an idea clicked. “She ripped a hole open in time before. If that’s the case, wouldn’t the timeline have been damaged before we arrived? If so, then that would mean that Engineer and I weren’t responsible.” Part of her cheered that it may have not been their faults, but that also meant something else, which made (y/n) start to feel angry. “I bet that woman knew we were traveling and tended to use us as scapegoats for this whole thing. What a selfish woman.” (y/n) scowled as she turned away and walked to the drawers. She opened the small cabinets to find a few clear files. “I have to find Engineer before this hag does,” she said as she started looking through them one by one. (y/n) was determined to find a way to save their timeline and their home. The problem was that she had no clue what to do afterwards. Unlike Engineer, she had no experience in his department of engineering. She knew how to fix a car, but that was just about it. “Ugh, this would be so much better with Engineer around,” she groaned. (y/n) flipped through each file, trying to find ‘Minerva’. She glanced back at the portal a few times as she flipped through the papers. “If I am going to connect with Engineer, I’m going to need someone who works in his department as well,” she thought. But how was she going to get an engineer to help her build this thing? She doubts that anyone would want to help a prisoner, let alone get involved in a project that might get them terminated if things go wrong. She sighed as the files were absent. (y/n) walked back to the tables and started going through papers, throwing the things on the ground that were not of concern. “How on earth am I going to find this project? It’s bad that I can’t even access the screens!”

“But I can,” said a voice from behind. (y/n) quickly turned around as she turned her attention to the doorway. “You,” she said with a growl, her eyes glaring at the figure in the doorway. Annora sighed as she slowly stepped into the room. “How the hell did I not hear you?” “I tend to have silent footsteps,” she said in a low voice as the door slid shut behind her. (y/n) quickly looked around and found a nearby chair. She ran and immediately grabbed it, pointing the leg at her. “If you plan to drag me back into the cell, it’s not going to work this time.” Annora gave a laugh. “Seriously, a chair?” “Shit,” (y/n) muttered. Then, she spotted a tool on one of the tables. It looked like some strange type of screwdriver, but the end was pointed. Without any hesitation, (y/n) threw the chair at Annora, who was taken aback by the action. She quickly ducked out of the way as the chair crashed to the ground. “My god, what the hell is wrong with you girl?!” Annora yelled. In the meantime, (y/n) ran and grabbed the tool, pointing it at her throat. “If you make one move towards me, I’ll kill myself!” Annora froze as she watched (y/n) place the end near her neck. The woman placed her hands in the air. “I did not come here to put you back in the cell. I came here to talk about something else, a plan that will benefit the both of us.” “Why, so you can kill my friend to cover up your actions like you did with your partner?” (y/n) saw Annora freeze at the comment, her eyes washing over with shock, which washed away with calmness, but (y/n) knew she hit her in the right spot. “So, you heard what happened?” “I know that you use others to cover up your mistakes you bitch,” (y/n) said with a glare. “How dare you, you can’t even admit to your own mistakes. You think you’re trying to save others, but you’re only going to save yourself in the end.” “(y/n), it is not what you think I was trying to do,” Annora said with a calm voice, yet (y/n) could sense there was a hint of anger. (y/n) scoffed. “Right, tell that to my friend that you’re going to kill.” “(y/n), let me explain,” Annora said, taking a step forward. (y/n) pressed the tool to her neck, feeling it make a dent in her skin, causing the woman to freeze in her tracks. “There’s no need to explain. I know what you’re trying to do. You’re just doing this to help yourself. You were the one who ripped a hole in time, and you tried to put the blame on us! You couldn’t bear to the guilt and killed your damn colleague! You knew we were traveling and made us think that we were causing this whole mess. And yet, it was you all along!” Annora closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “(y/n), it is not what you think. If you would let me explain just once, then you would understand.” (y/n) laughed bitterly. “Oh, I understand alright. I understand that you are a con artist, a person who uses others so you could continue living a damn happy life of your own. You aren’t trying to fix this, you said it yourself. Now you’re doing it to just buy yourself time for your death row unless you find Engineer. You’re hoping to find him and use him as your damn escape.” “Girl, you better stop it,” Annora said with her teeth clenched. (y/n) glared at her. “Prove me wrong, bitch.” “Put the weapon down and just listen to me, please. I don’t want to make things difficult for the both of us, I just want to talk.” (y/n) stared at her for a while, both locking eyes. Then, (y/n) spoke. “Alright, but first you talk. Make one more move, and I’ll do it. I’m not one to joke about it.” (y/n) slowly pushed the tool in, causing a cut to surface as a small drop started to trickle down her neck.

Annora backed away as she started to talk. “Look, I didn’t mean to rip a hole in time. My colleague, Minerva, and I were trying to find a way to work on making contact to ‘the realm’. Everything was fine until I made a mistake that caused a hole to rip through the continuum. Luckily, I managed to reduce the process for a while, but it had damaged many timelines already. The council was not happy and wanted to know who was responsible. Minerva was my best friend; he was my colleague for years. No one really knew which one of us did it, but he did. I was devastated and I was trying to fix everything, but the council does not believe in redemption. So, Minerva decided to take the blame and spare my life. I will tell you, not many people were happy when he died. They loved him, but they hated me. My mother…” she paused for a moment, trying to gather her words and sighed. “… my… mother… she is a woman of the council. People believed that Minerva was chosen for termination because my mother and I covered up the tracks. They already suspected that I was the one who caused the rip in time and not him, but as said there was no evidence to prove it.” (y/n) scanned her, looking for any tricks or lies. She still has a feeling that this woman before her was a liar, so she wasn’t going to believe her story all the way. It seemed Annora was waiting for (y/n)’s permission. “Go on,” (y/n) said in a low voice. “I was still not safe from the council. I had to find a way to fix the hole completely before it started to drain the timeline again. For years, I tried to find a solution, I tried to find a way to reverse the effects as the hole started to tear itself apart again. Our methods were to slow down the process, not fix it. We advised no one else to travel through time because that would stimulate the continuum and the wormholes, which would cause the hole to break. Everything was alright… until we received information on two machines being used.” (y/n) glanced away for a moment. “The hole started to rip apart one by one, as it started to destroy a portion of the timeline. Then, you started to use the time machines excessively, which threw off the wavelengths and the continuum, causing the hole to rip apart from its stitches that we mended. So, I decided to take the mission into stopping this from happening. But your friend did something that destroyed everything. What was worse was your friend, who created a huge hole through space and time itself! That caused the hole to rip apart for good and there was nothing to stop it once that black hole formed through the entire timeline.” (y/n) stayed silent, taking the information in. Annora sighed as she stared at her. “I’m trying to fix what I started, I truly am. I came here to resume Minerva’s work again. I believe that there might be a way to connect to ‘the realm’ and that there is a way to reverse it. I want to help you.” (y/n) gave her a look as the woman stared at her with a somewhat sincere look. “You’re not doing this for me,” (y/n) said, “I know there’s much more to it than that.” Annora sighed as she gave a small chuckle. “I may have underestimated your intelligence.” (y/n) gave a small glare. “Indeed, you have, so what’s the real tea?” Annora sighed. “Well, the council has deemed me responsible for this mess. I have a limited time to make this right. Or… we have a limited time to make this right if you are willing to help me. The council has given me thirty days to resolve this. If we are to resolve this issue, we will have to work together and make this quick. You said your friend is an engineer, yes?” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “No, he’s actually a baker. Of course, it’s in his team name.” Annora sighed. “Right, the sarcasm. Nonetheless, if we are going to save your friend, then we might as well use him to help us.” “Um, we don’t use people mind you. We work together,” (y/n) said. “Whatever the case may be,” Annora said, ignoring her comment, “all three of us need to work together to fix this thing and restore your timeline.” “And what about Engineer, what are you going to do with him once this is all over?” Annora stayed silent for a moment before she turned to the side. “I will have you know,” she said, “that I am set up for termination anyway. I simply cannot redeem myself with the council. In the end, I will be carried to death.” (y/n) stayed silent for a moment as the woman turned to face her again. “So, are you willing to allow me to help you?”

(y/n) thought for a moment about her offer. Still, she was not going to put her full trust in this woman. She knew that there was some catch to this, that there was something else below the surface that she could not see. If she were to accept her help, what would stop this woman from hurting Engineer, or using him as redemption. (y/n) sighed as she slowly dropped the weapon from her neck. For now, she was going to work together. But when she finds Engineer, they are going to leave and go back to their timeline. Annora’s tension left her as she slowly walked over to (y/n), extending a hand to her. (y/n) stared between her and her gesture before slowly grabbing her hand and shaking it. “Good,” Annora said. “Now, let us get to work.”


	15. Important Author's Note

Hello fellow friends and followers. As you can see, it has been a while since I posted another chapter. The reason is because there have been a few things that came up that have caused the delays in writing. I have to take care of my mother because she just got out of surgery, so I have to take care of her while overlooking the house and going out to get things for the family. In addition, I have to help my family get to places since my mother is stuck in bed. So I apologize for those that are waiting for the next chapters and so forth. In the meantime, I have had some time to work on the remaining chapters. After this, I will be taking requests and probably come up with a new story in the TF2 series for you to enjoy. I thank you all for your kindness and satisfaction with this story and hope you continue to look for notifications for new chapters!


	16. One Step at a Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After almost making contact with (y/n), Engineer starts to plan a way to get out of 'The Realm' with the other people, but his plan starts to change when he gets an unexpected surprise. Suspicions arise as (y/n) and herself work together to find a way to build the portal before time runs out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, but I am back!!! I hope this chapter was worth the wait as there will always be more here soon!

Engineer finds himself walking back to the main room where everyone is. He already suspects that Elijah was bragging about the whole thing. He sighed as he opened the door to the room, but the moment he did he was bombarded by people. The little girl, Abigail, started to tug at his overalls. “Is it true, did you really see someone?” Another man, Zaiden, was grabbing Engineer by the shoulders. “There’s still a chance, we still have a chance!” Another young woman scrambled and hugged Engineer from the side. “We still have a chance! We can still go home!” “No one is going home yet!” A voice shouted from behind. Nova seemed to glare at Engineer the whole time as people gathered around him. Engineer managed to give a nervous smile and pat Abigail’s head, slowly pushing everyone away to give him some space. Nova stood from her place and stomped towards Engineer. “There’s no way that he could have done that. We’ve all been in the room before, so how come he’s the only one who can do it? He’s clearly lying.” “Mah’ friend’s in another timeline. If ah’ can get her to build another portal, we could make a thing that could connect-” “Enough with this nonsense!” Nova shouted. Elijah stepped in from the side, facing her. “Nova,” he said, “we’ve waited so long for this moment. We’ve been here for so long, we’re tired of not seeing home, we’re tired of not seeing other people. Don’t you want to take this opportunity to go back?” Nova shook her head. “Of course, I want to go back home, but this whole thing is crazy. That man even looks crazy, look at him!” She pointed at Engineer, who scrunched his eyebrows. “Ma’m how am ah’ crazy?” “He talks about seeing a friend of his. For all we know he’s just hallucinating or lying!” Elijah grabbed Nova’s arm for comfort. “Come on Nova,” he said, “I saw him do it. Have some faith in the guy. He says that his friend contacted him through another timeline. You see, we have a chance! We can leave this place if we just help him out, he even has a plan for us.” Nova shook her head. “How could you trust a man you just met? We can’t even get out of here! We’ve tried and tried with nothing, so what makes you think this man can do the same?” Engineer sighed as he took his hardhat off. “Ma’m,” he said, “ah’ am an engineer. Ah’ have 10 PhDs and ah’ sure know what ah’m doin’. Ah’ have built teleporters, dispensers, and ah’ even built mah’ own time machine. If ah’ can build all those, ah’ sure as hell can build a portal.” “What’s a dispenser?” Zaiden whispered to Abbey, who shrugged at his question. Nova stared at Engineer. “Are you sure you know how to do this? I mean, no one escapes from here. How can you build a portal from a place where space and time are nonexistent? I’m sorry, but I find this hard to believe. And if you’re here, then you must have messed up for a good reason.” She glanced down at his time machine and walked over to him. Without hesitation, she grabbed Engineer’s arm and lifted it, showing his broken machine. “Look at this, he destroyed his own timeline. What makes us think that he can reverse this mess? There’s no way in reversing time itself, time only goes one way and that’s forward!” Engineer quickly pulled his hand away. “Now you listen here lil’ missy!” He said with a grim look. “Ah’ tell you that ah’ have been through a lot just like the rest of y’all. Yeah, we all done messed up somehow; but ah’ know that we have a chance at this. Ah’ just lost all mah’ friends and family and ah’ tend to get them back one way or another. Maybe you can be a miss sour patch, but ah’ sure hell know one thing and that’s to never quit on mah’ family.” Nova scowled at him. “Bold of you to assume that I haven’t been through a lot as well. I lost my friends and family too from a stupid jerk who messed up our timeline, only for me to be the one who gets thrown into this stupid place and taking everyone down when I tried to stop them. I spent what feels like years in this hellhole!” Elijah steps in. “But Nova,” he says, “at least give him a chance. Let him try and see how he can help us. If it doesn’t work, then we can go back to moping around.” “Elijah,” she said, “what do you know about this man? For all we know, he could make something worse than this. I don’t want to take any chances, even we wouldn’t take any chances. If we mess something up, who knows what will happen?” “And what if we don’t mess up, what if this could work?” Nova started to get annoyed. Then, Abigail spoke up. “Maybe he’s the one we’ve been waiting for?” “No, he’s not!” Nova shouted. “This man isn’t even advanced like us. Look at his clothing, look at the technology. He’s way behind from where we are. We had flying cars, floating buildings, so many advanced things. From the way he looks, he’s probably in like stone age era.” “Actually, ah’m from the 60s,” Engineer said. Nova pointed at him. “See? Stone Age!” Engineer rolled his eyes. “That’s not exactly the Stone… nevermind…” Elijah shook his head. “So, you just can’t give up like that. We have to give him once chance.” “Elijah,” Nova was getting angry, “You know nothing about this place, I was the one who has been leading us here to survive. I know more about this place than any of you. For heaven’s sake, this man has only been here for a few minutes. Don’t act like he’s ‘our savior’ if he doesn’t even know this place!” “Then, why haven’t you taken us back home?” Abigail asked.

Everyone stood still at the question as Nova slowly turned towards the little girl, her face blank as the doe eyes stared back at her. “You said long ago that you would bring us home, that I could see mommy again.” Zaiden wrapped his arm around little Abbey. “Nova, you said that you would help us get out of here. You would stay awake and search through the rooms, finding the materials to build something, but each time you would come back defeated only to wake up and start again. In the end, you gave up.” Nova said nothing as she glanced away. “I… I did not give up. You shut up right now,” she said as she reinforced her authority. “All I did was try many ways in finding a way out. I’m just thinking of another way.” Zaiden looked down at his little sister, then back at Nova. “We gave you a chance to help us, we put our faith in you Nova. So, why can’t you do the same for him? We didn’t know you, but when you told us that you would find a way, we believed in you.” Nova sighed as she turned to Engineer. “But I know that this man is bad news and a waste of time. Do you really believe that he has proven himself?” “Nova, why are you so stressed over Engineer helping us? It’s like you don’t want him to help us at all,” Zaiden said. They stared at Nova, who glanced between each person. Then, her face contorted into fury. “Shut up, all of you shut up! How dare you attack me like that! I’ve taken care of you and watched over all of us since you guys came here!” Elijah threw his hands in front of him in defense. “No, it’s not like that Nova. No one’s trying to attack you.” “Yes you are, you all are! I have put all my time and effort trying to find a way out of here for all of us and now you’re all putting your lives in the hands of a guy you just met!” “Ma’m, ah’ know what ah’m doin’ here. If you just give me ah chance to get us out of here, then we could go back home.” “See Nova,” Elijah said, “we can do this if we just give him a chance. I have some faith in this one right here.” “My god! Why can’t you guys just listen to me?!” Nova cried out. The room started to feel tense as the atmosphere became dark and dull. Zaiden covered his sisters’ ears while Elijah seem to be stressed over Nova’s attitude. “Nova, we are happy that you have tried to help us out, but we need to give someone else that chance as well,” Elijah said in a different voice. Engineer started to see a vein popping in Elijah’s forehead. Engineer spoke once more. “Let me have ah shot, and if it don’t work then you can say you were right all ‘long ma’m, but please let me have ah shot at this.” Nova seemed to be in thought as she stared at the ground. The people in the room stood, not saying another word to each other as they waited for her response.

A shuffle was heard from the other side of the room, causing everyone to turn around. Azriel, the lonely figure in the corner, was standing and slowly making their way towards the two. Nova’s face contorted into shock as she watched the figure walk, their right leg limping behind. Elijah started to grow nervous as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Zaiden and Abbey were holding on to each other from what they were seeing, unsure of what Azriel was going to do. Azriel had always been the quiet one, never talking, or moving. At first, they thought they were dead or something, but the sound of their breathing indicated that they were alive. The only thing they ever saw them do was inscribe their name into the table that they sat at. Nova watched intently at the figure, watching the limping leg drag behind ever so slowly past her and towards Engineer, who seemed to slowly back away for a moment. Azriel fully faced Engineer, the blank mask staring at him. Engineer softly swayed from side to side, unsure of what to do as the figure just stared at him through the mask. Zaiden rubbed his arm, looking sideways as the room became… awkward. Engineer glanced away as he felt the figure examine him from head to toe with the small tilts of his head. He could hear the figure’s heavy breathing from the mask, the chest heaving up and down, as if it took a lot of energy to move from the other side of the room. Then, the figure slowly walked around him, causing Engineer to freeze. “What in sam hill are you doin’?” The figure said nothing else as Elijah told him to be quiet as the whole room watched in awe. Engineer took notice of something on Azriel’s clothing that caught his eye. He noticed a symbol that was engraved on his chest as it shined brightly within the rags that swayed back and forth from his cloak. Finally, Azriel stood in front of Engineer as he leaned down, being a few inches away from his face. Engineer started to feel uncomfortable at the gesture, but his nose caught a familiar scent. “Is that… peppermint?” He thought. “For such a figure, who knew they would smell like peppermint.” Finally, Azriel breathed in, and for the first time they spoke. “You are the one, aren’t you?” Everyone was taken aback by the voice. Engineer couldn’t quite put it together, but it was like someone autotuned it or covered it with a different audio. Engineer seemed to glance to the side, confused by the question. “Uh, what?” Meanwhile, everyone else seemed to have a mix of emotions. Abbey was jumping up and down while Zaiden’s jaw crashed through the floor, Elijah fainted a few seconds ago, and Nova seemed to be in a state of shock that she looked like she was a statue. “I said: you are the one, aren’t you?” Engineer still couldn’t grasp at the question. “What do ya mean, son?” Azriel didn’t seemed bothered by his lack of response, but simply stated: “You are the one that Annora sent, correct?” Now Engineer was confused as hell, but the others seemed to have a different reaction. “That wench?!” Nova seemed to be angry, while Elijah seemed surprised. “No, you mean Annora from my timeline?” Zaiden seemed to recognize the name as well. “I think he definitely means the only Annora that we know.” Engineer glanced around. “Who in the Southern back is Annora, and what do ya mean she sent me here? Ah’ came by mahself.” “You mean to tell me you don’t know who Annora is?” Nova asked with irritation. Engineer turned to Elijah. “Son, who is this Annora guy?” “Well…” he said as Nova listened to them with a look of disgust. “She’s the commander and scientists in charge of watching our timelines, but she lives in mine. She is responsible for keeping things in check to make sure nothing’s wrong, I’m surprised she didn’t get you…” Engineer gave him a look. “W-What do you mean?” “She’s the most disgusting person you’ll ever meet,” Nova interjected. “She’s the reason we’re all here in the first place. She deliberately destroyed my timeline and she was the one who put Elijah here.” Elijah slowly nodded his head. “Annora made a huge mistake in the timeline systems that caused most of them to collapse. She was trying to find a way into the system to reach ‘the realm’ and use it to her advantage.” “Advantage?” Engineer asked. Elijah nodded. “Yes, she wanted to use ‘the realm’ to control all parts of space and time. Annora and her friend were building a portal to connect the two together, but she made a mistake when trying to create a portal to ‘the realm’, creating a huge rip in time. She tried to cover up her mistake and used her friend as a scapegoat, but when I found out… she… got rid of me…” Nova glanced at Engineer. “You said your friend was in another timeline, correct?” “Why yes, that’s how ah’ was able to talk.” “Does she have a time machine like yours?” “Why no, which is why ah’ don’t understand how she was able to survive.” Nova and Elijah exchanged looks. “Annora must’ve gotten to her before the timeline was destroyed,” Nova said. Engineer looked at her in surprise. “Wait a minute, yer sayin’ this gal found (y/n) and took her back to her place?” “Most likely, which means your friend is in danger,” Nova said. “Whatever game Annora is playing at, there must’ve been a reason why she chose to take your friend with her.”

Azriel turned to the main audience. “If we are to make it out of here, each portal must be the exact same and be able to replicate time and space like any other timeline.” Engineer rubbed his chin. “Ah’ get that, but there must be a way to create time in a place where it ain’t existin’. And if we are to build two portals, then the other one must be the same. Ah’ have to get (y/n) to build it with mah instructions, but ah’ don’t know how she’s gonna do that.” “Perhaps she can allow Annora to help her,” Azriel suggested. Nova glared at his comment. “Are you crazy? We can never allow that woman to help us. This is what she wants, we can’t just let her get what she wants!” “But we also need someone to build the other portal, and (y/n) is no engineer like ah’ am,” Engineer said. “If we get Annora to build the portal, then we can just take ‘er out. All we need to do is get rid of her in the end, right?” Elijah stepped in. “Surely, we can try to do it under her nose?” Azriel shook his head. “I understand that Annora’s intentions are evil, but we need her intelligence to get us out of here. She is the only one who is capable of building the portal.” Nova sighed, glancing around. “So, we risk Annora’s plan by getting her to fix the portal while we build our own to get us out of here?” Engineer nodded as he thought for a moment. “The first thing we really need to do is to reach their timeline, then we can find ah way to fix the hole in time and reverse the effects.” Nova glanced to the side for a moment at the decision before she nodded her head. “Fine, we’ll stick to the plan, but your friend better not fall into Annora’s manipulation.” Engineer sighed as he thought about (y/n). “Well, ah’ don’t think (y/n) is stupid enough to fall for any tricks,” he thought. Elijah clapped his hands together. “So, what do we need to build this portal?” “We will need a few coils and advanced metals, but the difficult part is to construct time and space,” said Azriel. “Ah’ agree, but we’re gonna need to look for the pieces throughout all these doors,” Engineer said. “Well then everyone, let’s go.” Nova said as she walked out of the room. The others began to follow her as they separated into the hall and went on their way to different rooms. Engineer walked out and was met by Nova, who grabbed his arm before he could scatter. “What?” He turned to her and gave her a questioning look. She pulled him closer and leaned near his ear. “Be careful with Azriel,” she said in a low voice. Engineer raised his eyebrows at her. “What do ya mean, ain’t he trustworthy enough?” Nova looked at him. “Azriel always gave me a bad feeling. They’re up to something else and I have a feeling they’re with Annora or something. We don’t even know how Azriel ended up here.” Engineer’s mind swirled around the figure. Then, Nova released his arm. “Just be careful with him, I don’t fully trust everyone here. Always watch your back,” she said before she left. Engineer stood there, processing her advice before he shrugged and walked the other way. His mind started to drift off to (y/n) again. “Ah’ have to warn her about that girl,” he thought, “ah’ can’t let her use (y/n) as blackmail or anything else. There must be a way that ah’ can talk to her or somethin’.”

 _“Hello?”_ Engineer stopped in his tracks as he heard the hushed whisper again. “What in the world?” He looked around, wondering if Elijah or Nova called out to him. “Anyone there?” He asked as he stared at the halls, but no one was there. _“Over here.”_ Engineer turned around at the voice. “Not again,” he thought. He started to feel his chest swell with a familiar feeling. He started to scratch at his chest and placed his palm against it. It was tingly and annoyed Engineer greatly. “Now you cut that out,” he said in the open. Then, his heart froze as he heard a familiar echo from afar. “That can’t be…” Engineer turned to see himself staring at the same door that he came from. He slowly walked to the door as he opened the handle and turned it. He could see the light blind him as he turned his head, but he could also hear the distinct voice. Engineer wanted to go into the place again, but he remembered that Elijah used a string to find his way back. Engineer quickly closed the door and rushed to get Elijah. “Elijah,” he called out as he ran past the doors. “Elijah, where are you son?” “Over here!” He heard the voice down the hall as he turned to see the man step out from the door as he held a few items in his arms. “What’s up?” “Listen son, ah’ need to borrow that glowing string that you have.” Elijah raised an eyebrow. “Why, what’s going on?” “Listen son, ah’ just need it. Ah’ gotta go back in that room.” “Okay, give it back after you’re done.” Elijah reached into his pocket with a free hand and took out the string, handing it to Engineer. Before he could say anything else, Engineer ran back to the door. He grabbed the string in his hand and tied part of it to the door handle, tugging on it to make sure it was secured. He stared at the light, listening to the sound one more time to confirm that he heard the right voice. “Hello?” He called out once more. He listened carefully for anything when a hushed voice came to his ears. _“Come in.”_ Engineer reeled back for a moment before he slowly placed his foot into the light as it consumed it. He slowly leaned forward as he was consumed by the light in intent to finding the person in the room.

…

“Crickey!” He screamed as he fell onto the cold ground. His body tensed from the impact as he hissed in pain and groaned as he turned onto his back. His hat flew down in a softer fashion as it landed next to him. He sighed as he slowly sat up, hissing at his aching back as he grabbed his signature hat and wiped the dust off the top before putting it on his head, completing his look. “What the bloody hell?” He glanced around as he was greeted by the sight of darkness as so, turning his head to find the monochrome color. “Where am oi?” He slowly stood up as he glanced around, finding absence and the cold temperature. “Hello there?” He shouted, hearing his echo bounce off the abyss. “Anyone?” He shouted again, listening to any reply. He sighed as his own voice answered his question. He looked around as he started to walk down the direction he chose, finding nothing else as he squinted his eyes into the dark place to find someone or something. “Where the hell am oi anyway? This place has no mates at all,” he said. He rubbed his eyes from straining too much as he continued walking aimlessly. “Why isn’t anyone else here? Oi can’t be the only one ‘round here.” His ears started to twitch and tingle, causing him to reach up and rub them. “Bugger! What the hell?” The tingling sensation began to heighten, causing him to groan in annoyance as he rubbed his ear, but to no avail. Suddenly, he heard the hushed whispers. “Who the hell is there?!” He turned his head in different directions, trying to find the place where the whispers were coming from, but they seemed to be coming from every direction. “Hey, who’s there?!” One whisper stuck out from the rest. _“He’s here, another is here.”_ “Mate, oi just got here! Where are ya?” Then, another voice popped in. _“There he is, he is on his way.”_ He was starting to get frustrated. “Oi don’t have the patience for this,” he said with a growl. “Who the bloody hell is coming, and where the hell am oi?!” Suddenly, the voices stopped, leaving him in complete silence. “Ah piss!” He stomped on the ground as he was left alone again. “Great,” he threw his hands up in the air. “First, Engineer forgets (y/n) and leaves her stranded. Then, he does something that messes up everything else and takes us to wherever this place is, and now oi seem to be trapped in this place. Oi swear when oi see that bloke again, oi’m going to give him a piece of my-”

“Sniper?” Sniper stopped talking as he immediately recognized the southern drawl. He quickly turned around to see Engineer holding a glowing string with an open mouth. Sniper could feel himself having the same reaction. “Engie?” He asked in a hesitant voice. “Is that really you, mate?” They stared at each other for a moment before Engineer’s face shifted into a wide grin as he shouted. “Yeehaw!” He raised a fist in the air. “Ah’ can’t believe ah’ found ya!” Sniper gave him a look of surprise. “Bloody hell, it’s really you mate?” “Ya’ done right, son.” At first, Sniper felt relief wash over him. For a guy who lost his team and his precious camper, he was glad to find Engineer, who seemed to look like he had quite an adventure. Though Engineer was happy to see him, he could tell that he was a bit tired and somewhat exhausted, but he placed his joy in seeing Sniper again. However, another emotion came from his chest. Sniper started to see Engineer’s face contort into something else. He didn’t know why, but Sniper felt anger rising through his chest. He felt it tighten as he felt a bad feeling in his chest again. That’s when it hit him: there was a person missing from the group, which made him remember. Yet, Engineer didn’t seem to take notice of his new persona as he started to babble on. “Ah’m glad to have you back son. You are not gonna believe what happened. There’s another team of people here that can help us get back our timeline and fix everything-” Hard and bony knuckles landed on the side of his face as pain exploded along the side. The impact caused Engineer to turn his head to the side as he groaned from the pain, immediately grasping his cheek. “Ah’ what the hell Sniper?” He felt the swelling on the side as it formed a large brown bruise. Sniper huffed from the force; his hand curled into a fist that clutched in front of him. “Sniper what has gotten into you son?” Engineer asked as Sniper started to shout at him. “How could you forget (y/n) like that?! Oi can’t imagine how it was for her to disappear all alone loike that! Oi can’t believe you left her all alone there loike that!” “Sniper, Sniper, calm down for one moment,” Engineer said as he waved his hand in front of him. “Everything’s okay now, we got-” “It is not okay mate, everyone’s gone! Oi don’t know what you just did out there that caused all this!” Engineer sighed as he got himself together. “Look Sniper, (y/n) is still alive.” Sniper was taken aback from the statement. “Mate… what?” Engineer gave a small chuckle as his cheek throbbed with pain. “No worries son, (y/n) is still alive. It turns out some other time traveler grabbed her and took her somewhere else before the black hole could get her.” “What do you mean mate, you’re telling me that someone else got a hold of her?” Engineer rubbed his sore. “It’s ah long story, but ah’ suppose it was some other time traveler wondering ‘round and they managed to pick her up before the black hole consumed us.” For a moment, Sniper felt relieved that his friend was still alive, or rather ecstatic. “So, where is the Sheila now?” “She’s in another timeline, it’s hard to explain, but ah’ll tell ya later. Now, we’re stuck here in ‘the realm’ until we can build ah portal out of here.” “Wot do you mean another portal? Don’t tell me you’re going to build another bloody time machine!” Engineer quickly waved his hands. “It’s not like that Sniper, a portal is ah different concept. All we need to do is build one to connect with (y/n) again so we can reverse this mess. The problem is that (y/n) needs to also build another portal so we can have a firm connection that’ll get us outta here.” Sniper slowly nodded his head as he processed the information. “And wot about (y/n), how are we even going to talk to her if she’s not even here?” “Ah’ was able to contact her through ah’ device in here. Ah’ think that if we both try; we can make ah’ better connection somehow.”

At this, Sniper’s head perked up. “Wait, really mate? You’re not bleedin’ joking, are you?” Engineer shook his head and chuckled. “What kind of ah’ man do you think ah’ am? Ah’ ain’t jokin’ with you. But right now, we should get out of here before ah’ tell you the other things.” He beckoned Sniper to follow as he turned and grabbed the glowing trail. Sniper and he walked next to each other as Sniper asked his questions. “So, wot was this place called again?” “Well, we call it ‘the realm’. It’s just ah’ small place where time and space don’t exist no more. I’d say it gives me the weirdest feelin’ ever, but don’t worry,” says Engineer. “Oi really don’t get that stuff, mate.” Engineer sighed as he kept wrapping the string up the closer they got to their destination. Sniper noticed as he pointed that out. “Wot’s that glowy ninny you got there?” “This rope right ‘ere is our way out of this hell,” he said as he raised the rope up as it glowed in his palm. Sniper observed the colors as Engineer continued to pull. Sniper said nothing else as he just followed Engineer, keeping pace with his steps, though he had to slow down since he was much taller than the Texan. Meanwhile, he kept thinking about the events that led up to this. It was quite a wild ride for the weekend. At least now they didn’t have to worry about showing up to the next match against the Blu. He could not understand how things ended up like this, especially with Engineer. His eyes flickered towards the man as he continued to stare up ahead. He could not remember a time when Engineer miscalculated or messed something up. Something was telling him that things were going to be worse than they already are, especially with Engineer. Though he did not depend on people (since he learned about independence ahead of time), he had to rely on Engineer for many reasons. As much as he wanted to go after the Spy and get (y/n), he knew that he was not capable and would have probably been stuck there. Another reason was he knew absolutely nothing about Engineer’s field and would have been dumbstruck. However, he was still upset about the dirty move Engineer played. Though Sniper was the type of person not to care about things, he seemed to care about it, which irked him. He was the type of person to brush things off and get back to business. After all, his job was just to aim, shoot, and get the job done. Yet, he was aware of the real reason why. “Bugger,” he thought as Engineer came to a stop in front of a door. “Well, we’re here alright.” He opened the door as the room filled with a white hue from the door. Sniper stared at the door and turned to Engineer with a look. “Just follow me and you’ll be fine. It ain’t gonna bite you,” Engineer said as he took a step into the door and disappeared into the light. Sniper slowly reached a foot out as the light consumed it. He reached his hand out as he felt his whole body pause at the new feeling. Out of nowhere, he felt a push to his back, sending his entire body through the door as it closed behind him, leaving a vacant room once again as the hushed whisper let out a small chuckle.

…

“How the hell can a person work in a mess like this?” (y/n) asked as she picked up a few pieces of paper. Annora busied herself as she flipped through a screen, checking documents and notes. “Science never sleeps, there is never time to stop.” (y/n) rolled her eyes as she placed the papers on the side and picked up a new set. Her eyes scanned the papers, eyeing the symbols and the equations that danced along the surface as she heard the woman typing at the screen, her fingers against the letters and numbers. She gave a small side glance at the woman, eyeing her movements before flitting back to the task at hand. “I don’t know,” (y/n) thought. “I can’t put it together, but something doesn’t seem right about this. Her intentions seem… off. I feel like I’m missing something, something important but I can’t figure out what it is.” Her eyes drifted back to the woman as she analyzed her form; the more she stared at her, the bigger her feeling in her chest grew. She could not brush off this feeling as she turned around and tried to ignore staring at her, but somehow it was like her mind knew about something that she was unaware of, yet she could not figure out what it was. “Maybe she has other plans in mind,” she thought as she dropped the papers on the desk again. She shook her head for a moment. “Now’s not the time to think about it. Maybe there’s a formula of some sort that I can recognize…” Her thoughts ceased as her eyes fell on one paper sticking out from a pile. There were equations written on it, but something about it caught her eye. She slowly lifted the pile as she grabbed the paper and drew it near her. Her eyes scanned through the different equations and the formulas that were inscribed. Something about this equation seemed… familiar. “Strange,” (y/n) thought, “I feel like I’ve seen this before, but I’m not… sure…” A memory flashed before her eyes, leading her to the answer.

…

_“Oh my god,” (y/n) coughed as dust flew into the air, moving it away with a rag in her hands. It seemed that cleaning Engineer’s workshop was going to be a lot more work after all. She swatted the dust with her hand as she backed away from the dirty drawers and cabinets. “I don’t understand how a man can work in a place like this,” she said. She started to wipe down the cabinets and drawers, cleaning the stains and the dust that grew along the area; however, the spots seemed to be giving her a hard time. Sweat began to build on her forehead the more she scrubbed at the dirt. In the end, success has won as the last remains were gone, leaving a shiny and clean surface in front of her. “Finally,” she said as she turned to open another drawer. She grabbed the handle and pulled it, but it wouldn’t budge. “What the hell?” She muttered as she pulled on it again, but to no avail. “Oh, come on,” she groaned as she grabbed the counter with her free hand and pulled the drawer harder. The stubborn furniture kept its stance as nothing moved a bit, causing (y/n) to become frustrated. She started to tug at the drawer, shaking it different ways to get it going. “Stupid… thing…” she said as she panted, “why… won’t you just… open-” She gasped as the drawer let loose, causing the force of the pull to throw her backwards as she crashed into the table behind her. The sound of papers falling onto the floor reached her ears as the pieces flew everywhere. “Great!” (y/n) said as she sighed, rubbing her head. Just another stack she was going to have to redo. She kneeled on the floor and began to gather the papers, some covered with small grease stains. “I swear Engineer better like this,” she thought as she stacked them in her hands. As she reached for the papers, she picked one up with a few equations scribbled on. Somehow, it piqued her interest as she held it to her face to get a good look at it. “Interesting,” she said aloud. It was a long equation with math symbols, but she couldn’t understand it. After all, she was not Engineer. She shrugged as she placed it in the pile and proceeded to pick up the remaining paper. She slowly got up from the floor and placed the stack on the table again, fixing any papers sticking out as she stretched her arms out. “Time to get back to work,” she said as she grabbed the rag again._

…

It finally clicked. “Engineer had this…” she thought. “This has to be an important part to something. Maybe she can figure this out.” As she went to turn around and alert the woman’s attention, she stopped. _“Don’t do it,”_ her conscious told her. (y/n) paused for a moment as she glanced at the paper again and back at the woman, who was typing away. She stared at the screen with symbols alien to her as she thought about it. _“We can’t trust her yet,”_ the voice said again. _“You know that she wants something.”_ (y/n) knew that the woman was most likely helping her for a different reason, probably because she did want something that (y/n) could help her with. Heck, she wasn’t so sure if she should help the woman to begin with. Though she agreed to allow the woman to help, she refused to turn her back to her. She could feel it, it was like a gazelle turning its back to the lion hiding within the tallgrass, waiting for the perfect moment to strike its victim and celebrate its victory with another meal. In this case, (y/n) refused to be the gullible gazelle and instead become the lion in the grass. She knew the first thing she had to do was to find out more about her by observing and listening. Her mind kept wandering back to what the guards said earlier, but it seemed like a different story the way the woman told her. But it didn’t matter who was telling the truth, no matter what the woman gave her a bad feeling, as if she was about to be the one to strike her down when she had the chance. (y/n) stared as the woman muttered a few words under her breath as she typed. “Damn it,” (y/n) thought. She moved her head to the side and gave a small wave of her hand towards the woman; the woman said nothing, for she was too focused on the screen. With the green light, (y/n) slowly turned her back towards her and folded the paper, slowly stuffing it in her pocket. She gave a sigh as she continued to flip through the pages again, pretending to make no progress with her work. “Did you find anything yet?” (y/n) asked, not caring to turn her head towards the woman. The said woman sighed as she scrolled through different files. “These incompetent scientists,” she said with frustration, “they seem to have gone nowhere in their work. These are just the same equations written on different files and regular observations. They have been repeating the same thing for months now, why have I not investigated this before? I shall have them punished for their lack of intelligence and skills.” She shut off the screen as she turned to (y/n), who felt her stare penetrate her skull. “Are you any different?” She asked. “If you are talking about finding anything, then no,” she said with a sigh. “There’s nothing here that I can find that sticks out, not even a little. This is all just garbage.” The woman walked over to her and grabbed a few pieces of paper, looking at them. (y/n) turned her head towards her. “Shouldn’t it be easy for you to find the files? You knew your partner, so shouldn’t you have his files or at least know where it is?” Annora paused for a moment before she looked at (y/n). “If I did know, we would have found them by now. Before Minerva was terminated, he decided to hide his files somewhere else. I was expecting them to be here, but that was not the case. When he was beginning termination, the council forced him to delete all his files regarding the project to cover any traces of him. Before the day he was gone I tried to ask him for the files, but he claimed that they were all deleted and that it was best that I stopped looking for them for the safety of my being. However, I have a feeling that he has kept his files somewhere.” (y/n) raised an eyebrow at her. “And how would you know that?” “Because,” Annora said, “I know him. I am not stupid to believe that he left a dead trail in his work. He was so obsessed with his work; he was dying to know how to connect ‘the realm’ to the real world. Why on earth would a scientist like him want to destroy years of work when he was so close to finding the answer?” “Or maybe he doesn’t want you to find his work for a reason,” (y/n) said. Annora stared at her with a glare. “What are you suggesting, (y/n)?” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying that maybe it was too dangerous and maybe he did delete the files to begin with.” Though (y/n) was not going to admit it, she had a hunch there was a reason he didn’t tell her about the files. Annora walked around the table, striding towards (y/n). She found herself a few feet away from her. (y/n) stared into her eyes, unfazed by her stance. “I feel like you have doubts about me,” said Annora. (y/n) tilted her head. “Really, what makes you say that?” Annora gave a small chuckle. “I can tell, you do not seem to trust me. So, tell me, what can I do to make you trust my judgement. I have not hurt you yet, so why do you not trust me?” (y/n) tapped her finger against her chin, pretending to be in thought. “Let me see… maybe it’s because you wanted to kill my friend in the first place and dragged me here against my will for your own selfish purpose of living?” Annora laughed. “Is that a real reason not to trust me? (y/n), do we not think alike? After all, I am you and you are me. Though we are from different timelines, we are the same person. We have the same flesh, the same eyes, the same hair. Though time has been different for both of us, we end up the same. Besides, I said that I would not dare to bring harm to you, especially if I need you to help me.”

Suddenly, voices were heard as they turned their heads. “Someone is coming,” Annora said as she turned to (y/n). “Don’t have to tell me,” (y/n) said as she quickly ran and hid underneath the desk again. She crouched underneath as she listened to the voices coming closer as Annora quickly put the papers back together in piles, setting them in the right places before the door opened. The same scientists appeared as they were talking to each other. “I cannot believe that he would do such a thing-” One of them stopped in midsentence at the sight of Annora standing in the middle of the room with a small smile on her face. The group of five turned to look into the room and went silent. “What,” Annora said, “surprised to see me here?” “Commander Annora,” the main leader said, “what brings you here to our lab?” “I was just passing by to see your progress on the portal again. It has been a while since I checked on you and it seems that you have not done much at all.” (y/n) listened closely as the man stammered. “O-Of course we have, it is just a long process to take. We have faced a few errors in the work, but we are on our way to fixing it and continue on track.” Annora gave a small smile at the group. “Why so nervous, am I not your colleague as well?” The group gave off nervous laughter. “Apologies Commander Annora, you just startled us for a minute.” Annora slowly turned and walked around the table. “Well, how is the work so far?” The group seemed to be content as they calmed down and went to their stations. The leader walked to Annora as he began to talk. “The portal seems to be unresponsive to any kind of stimulation so far. We have tried electric shocks, wave impulses, anything really. It seems to become stagnant lately.” Annora gave a small nod in understanding as the scientists immediately got to work. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a young female scientist making her way towards the desk (y/n) was hiding in. (y/n) heard the footsteps coming closer as she held her breath. “Go back, please go back,” she thought as the woman was two feet away from the desk. “Dr. Agar!” She exclaimed. The female scientist froze in her tracks as she turned to Annora, fear in her eyes. “Y-Yes ma’m?” Annora walked over to her. “No need to be scared of me,” she said with a smile, “I just wanted to ask you about the portal?” She wrapped a hand around her arm and guided her to the contraption. (y/n) slowly breathed out as Annora continued. “What do you think about the portal so far?” The woman seemed to calm down. “Well, it seems to be going okay. There just needs to be a few adjustments to it. Though the portal will not start, I found a small connection regarding titanium coils.” (y/n) listened closely as Annora’s eyes perked. “Titanium coils?” The female nodded. “Yes, the energy emitting from the portal seems to react when near titanium coils. I suppose the electrons and the atoms seem to connect with each other. “Very good Dr. Agar,” she praised, “at least someone is getting somewhere.” She turned to the other male who cowered underneath her gaze. “Indeed, Dr. Agar is one of our best colleagues in the field.” Annora slowly nodded her head. “I believe it is getting late, you should start heading back home today.” The man scratched his head. “Well, the senior officer said that we had to work after hours.” “Especially since there is someone on the loose,” another colleague said from across the room as he worked on a screen. “I think they said of closing down the building to find them before opening back up, so I think that it is going to take a few more hours before we can go home.” Dr. Agar spoke up. “These prisoners have no consideration for others. Because of them, we have to work extra and stay away from home.” Annora was about to say something when the man near the screen stopped typing and turned to his colleagues with an upset look on his face. “Did I not tell you guys to stop messing around with my files?” They stared at him with a confused look. “What are you talking about?” “You know what I’m talking about.” He turned the screen as the files were scattered. Annora froze as she watched him. “Why would you guys snoop through my work?” “No one snooped through your computer, besides there’s nothing there to begin with,” Dr. Agar said with a small snicker. Annora jumps in. “Perhaps there is an error in the system. No need to start assuming that your own colleagues would perform such a violating act.” (y/n) rolled her eyes at her voice. “Her acting makes me want to hang by a rope,” she thought sarcastically. The man said nothing else as he sighed and began to move the files in the right spot. “How the hell am I going to get out of here?” (y/n) thought as she poked her head above the desk. The scientists seemed focused on different things to notice her figure. Annora turned her head towards (y/n), who mouthed “seriously” to her. Annora slowly turned her head the other way and saw the door opened across. She tilted her head towards the open door that was near the desk (y/n) was hiding in. (y/n) rolled her eyes as she slowly looked at the scientist while Annora continued to talk. (y/n) slowly stood up as she quietly made her way to the door, looking at anyone who was looking her way. However, one of the male scientists managed to spill a substance on himself as he groaned. “Great, just what I need. Now I need to wash another coat.” He started to push the chair back and stand, causing (y/n)’s eyes to widen as she quickened her pace, the door only a few feet away from her. A crash came as everyone stared the other way. Papers flew everywhere as Dr. Agar rushed over. “Commander, are you okay?” Annora groaned as she rubbed her arm. “I am so sorry, I seemed to have tripped.” (y/n) wasted no time in arriving at the door and slipping into the room as the scientists began to help Annora up while cleaning up the mess of papers on the floor.

(y/n) sighed as she hid behind the wall, slowly closing the door without drawing the attention of the scientists. She stretched her back out, hearing a few pops from crouching underneath the desk. “Man, what a sore,” she said in a low voice as she glanced around the room. There was a tube on the side of the room next to another screen with a holographic keypad, a few soft chairs in the middle decorated in white, and a glass box on the floor. There was a nice mirror next to the glass box as (y/n) saw her reflection. She walked towards it, examining her figure: messy hair that was beginning to matte, her clothes were tattered and smelled like mud, and her face was dirty with stains. “Oh my god, it looks like I haven’t showered for years! Well I mean, technically we did travel for years but still.” She rubbed a dark smudge on her cheek in hopes it would go away, but it got larger in size. “Is there some kind of a shower or something in here, what even is this place?” She said aloud. The screen seemed to activate to life as a robotic, yet delicate voice spoke. “Hello there,” it said in a feminine voice. “What the hell?” (y/n) stared as the screen, staring as it glistened with specks. Suddenly, a small needle stuck out with a small bud at the end. (y/n) leaned closer to get a look when it shot out a light at her. (y/n) jumped as it laid against her body. “What the-” “Scan complete, analyzing results,” the computer said as a whirring sound was heard. (y/n) was taken aback, slowly backing away. “What is going on?” She thought as she heard another sound. “My detectors tell me you are covered in dirt and germs 100%. It seems you will need a personal clean up.” “A personal what-” (y/n) gasped as she felt herself falling backwards into one of the soft chairs. It started to move across the floor as (y/n) looked around in surprise. “What is going on-” She felt herself enter the tube in the room as it closed behind her, leaving her sitting in the chair. (y/n) quickly stood up and started to pound on the tube. “Hey, let me out of here!” Her muffled voice said through the tube. “Please choose a scent,” the computer said as pictures appeared in front of her of different herbs and scents. “Get me out of here!” She yelled, continuing to pound on the glass. “Hm, it seems that you have not chosen a scent yet. Perhaps I can recommend a scent to your liking.” “I don’t want a damn scent, I want out!” “You have chosen lavender, an excellent choice!” (y/n) was baffled as the pictures went away. “No, I didn’t ask for lavender! Get me out of here now!” “Preparing cleaning,” the computer said. The tube started to dim as the clear glass turned into an opaque scene of ocean waves on the beach. “What is going on here?!” The computer spoke. “These are not the appropriate clothes for the lab. Let me help you in some new and correct attire.” “What the fu-” (y/n) screamed as she felt something zap her in the back for a short moment. Her clothes started to turn into dust as she felt the cool temperature hit her naked back. “What the hell?!” (y/n) quickly looked to see her clothes start to vaporize. She quickly dug into her pocket and lifted out the paper before her clothes disappeared, the remains falling on the floor. “What is wrong with you?!” She screamed at the computer as she crouched to cover herself. “Initiating cleansing sequence.” Cold water fell from the ceiling as she gasped at the feeling, gripping the paper in her hand as tight as she could, keeping it away from the water. Then, she felt something soft and slimy on her head as it dripped down her back. “What is that?!” As if that wasn’t scary enough, she felt two hands on her head as they began to rub the hair products in. (y/n) detested, but it seemed that it was useless. More cold water started to wash away the foamy mess on her head as she felt the holographic hands disappear. She felt something sprayed against her back as mist started to fill the room. “Hey-” The scent of lavender hit her nose as she inhaled the scent. “Hey, stop!” As if things couldn’t get any worse, foam went into her eyes. She started to scream as she covered her eyes, moving around. “Oh god, oh god! I can’t see! It burns!”

“Did you hear something?” One of the scientists said as she glanced up from her screen. Annora looked around until her ears picked up the tiniest muffled sound before shaking her head. “Must be the engineers below, just keep working.”

“Hey, someone!” (y/n) started banging on the glass again before she was sprayed with cold water again. She moved her wet hair out of her face as her eyes still burned from the residue. “Oh god,” she mumbled as scrubbed the dirt away. Finally, the shower stopped as she felt the tube darken. (y/n) rubbed her eyes and looked up, realizing that the glass turned into a black opaque color. She heard the computer speak again. “Purity complete. Initiating uniform change.” (y/n) felt a tingling feeling as she felt the computer scan her body again, the grid running across her skin to form a white fabric as she glanced at herself. She seemed to be dressed in a lab coat with black pants and a fancy shirt. “What the heck?” The tube finally turned transparent again as it opened to (y/n), who wasted no time in running out to fall on the ground. She turned around to make sure nothing else was going to happen. “Thank god, I thought I was going to die. I hate this new technology already!” She stared at her new attire, examining the soft and gel fabric that created an indent when she rubbed her fingers along her arm. “Wow,” she mumbled at the soft feeling.

She froze as she heard the mumbled voices of the scientist. She was able to pick up a faint “I forgot something in the storage room” as she started to panic. “Crap,” she said as she glanced around the room. It seemed that there was no place to hide. She would have blended in had it not been for her looking identical to the woman out there. “Crap, crap,” she repeated. “I need a disguise or something.” “Initiating disguise,” spoke the computer. “Wait a minute-” The computer initiated its scanner again, blinding (y/n) as she covered her eyes. She heard a few sounds before the door behind her opened and one of the scientists walked in. “Now, where did I put that thing?” He stopped as his eyes landed on (y/n) in the middle of the room. His face contorted into a stern look as he shouted. “Hey, who are you?” (y/n) jumped as she turned around and froze in place. “Shoot, I’m done for,” she thought as the man waited for her to respond. “What are you doing here in the back, who are you?” He glared at the female across the room. (y/n) looked around for a moment before she said, “Well… um… I’m new here?” “Where’s your identification?” (y/n) blinked for a moment. “My… what?” “You’re not supposed to be here. I’m going to have to call security.” Before he could turn around, Annora appeared behind him. “Is there a problem Dr.?” The scientist stopped as he stared at Annora with an upset look on his face. She took her eyes off him and glanced at (y/n), seemingly pleased with the way she looked. The scientist paid no attention as he began to point a finger at (y/n). “I found this… woman in the back room. I am going to get security for her trespassing here with no identification.” “What is going on here?” The other scientists appeared as they stared into the room. All eyes landed on (y/n). She gulped as she glanced around. “Shoot, they’ll know… won’t they?” “Who is she?” Dr. Agar asked, staring at (y/n). Annora sighed as she walked into the room and towards (y/n). “This,” she said as she stood next to (y/n). “Is a newly formed scientist.” She placed a hand on (y/n)’s back. “Ladies and gentlemen, meet Dr. Thorus.” “Dr. what-” Annora pinched her back, causing (y/n) to jump. “Oh, yes I am the Dr. Thorus!” (y/n) exclaimed as the scientists stared at them. “Dr. Thorus…” Dr. Agar said under her breath. “Annora, you know we do not need another assistant for our team.” “I know,” Annora said, “I was just showing her around the facility. She must be well accustomed to our new labs and experiments, isn’t that right Dr. Thorus?” (y/n) slowly nodded as Annora waved her hand. “Now, back to work,” she said in a stern voice. The scientists shrugged their shoulders, but Dr. Agar hesitated as she stared at (y/n) before turning around and going back to her station. (y/n) turned to Annora, who gave a smirk as she glanced at (y/n). “You do not look bad,” she said as she walked away. “Wait what?” (y/n) was confused until she turned around and saw her reflection on the tube and jumped a little. Small and delicate lines decorated underneath her eyes as small dots went above her eyebrows. Her hair was turned into an almost platinum color that was tied in different buns and braids. “What. The. Hell.” (y/n) said as she turned back to Annora, who was waiting at the door. Annora turned her head outside, beckoning (y/n) to follow. She grumbled as she started to walk out of the room as the two began to make their way out of the lab. “I suggest that I have something in three lunar days,” Annora said before she and (y/n) left, closing the door behind them. Dr. Agar turned around as one of her male colleagues stood next to her. “Something is strange,” she said. Her colleague only hummed. “Like what?” “I don’t know,” she said, “but it feels like I already know the newcomer…”

“I think I know another place we can find the answers.” Annora and (y/n) walked down the hall, passing scientists along the way. (y/n) couldn’t help but play with her hair, feeling the new hairstyle. “Hmm… I don’t think I like this,” she said. Annora rolled her eyes. “It is better for you to keep it rather than getting spotted.” (y/n) sighed as she scratched her hair. “God, I really hate the future,” she thought. “I believe there might be another file that Minerva must have hidden away in a secret archive,” Annora said. “And how do you know that?” “To begin, it is obvious that Minerva would have never made this easy for anyone to find. Even if he was terminated and they deleted all his files, I know that he made a back-up somewhere else or maybe it is stored away somewhere just waiting to be downloaded again.” “You mean like in a drive or something?” “Correct. Minerva never tells anyone his secrets, not even his closest friends. But he has the tendency to leave puzzles around the place. If it is on a drive, then we must act quickly. This place can pick up any trace of an unknown or a supposedly terminated file. We will have about one to five minutes to upload the file and search through the drive before they trace us back to the laboratory. If we are not quick enough, they will find us and terminate us altogether.” (y/n) flipped her hands. “Why does every easy thing have to be freaking harder than it looks?” “It is not that it is hard, you just have to be cautious,” Annora said. “In this place, you never know who is watching you and who is hiding what. In this case, I can say that though Minerva and I were friends, I know that he never fully trusted me with his work, as he was always the one to stow it away. I understood why, but I always wanted to figure out what he was hiding away from the rest of us. We had at least the right to know what was going on.” “Not surprised that your friend wouldn’t trust you at all,” (y/n) thought. “In the end, he decided to go down, but his work would not be in vain. So, I have a theory that he left at least one clue in the dorms.” “What are the dorms?” (y/n) asked. “It is a place where all the scientists keep their personal things and stay overnight for long projects.” “And you never thought of searching Minerva’s place beforehand?” “Foolish girl, you act as if I was born two lunar years ago.” “And you are right,” (y/n) sneered. This earned her a slap behind the head. (y/n) rubbed the pain as Annora sighed. “That is not the point. I have a feeling there is a clue that I have missed. There must be something that he left there that I did not see yet.” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “Or maybe he didn’t put it in his room to begin with? That would have been the logical thing to do.” Annora looked at (y/n). “And why do you think that?” (y/n) gave a snicker. “Because it’s obvious that people would look there in the first place anyway. The best thing would’ve been to put the clue in a place that you would never expect in the first place.” “But that is impossible,” Annora said with a tinged of irritation. “Why is it impossible?” “Because you do not even know Minerva.” “Sure, but I know how clues work,” (y/n) said. Annora shook her head. “You do not, I have worked with him for years on end until his death. I know that the only places Minerva would have hid anything would have been his own dorm, the old laboratory, or in the spare room.” “Are you that stupid?” (y/n) said.

Annora stopped walking as she turned to face (y/n). Taking notice, she stopped to face her. The hall was empty for now with only the sound of machines and muffled voices among the walls as the tension grew. “Mind your words, girl.” “I’m not a girl, I’m you,” (y/n) said with a smirk. Though Annora’s face was calm, her voice had an opposite tone. “I know every little piece of this place, every pathway, every scientist, and every experiment that has ever been processed at this place. You are not from here and you know nothing about the future, least how things work here. I know Minerva more than you could ever imagine. We have been colleagues since the day we have started here. I knew his schedule, I knew what he ate, I knew what he read, how long he stayed up to work, and where he likes to go. You have no idea who he is, mere child. I would like to see you try and find something.” (y/n) laughed. “If you know him, then why haven’t you found the clue yet?” “Because he is a skilled scientist with a unique mind, it is not as easy as you think.” “Alright, so you think there’s a clue in his old room or something?” “Precisely.” (y/n) shrugged. “Whatever you say then, lead the way.” Annora glared at her. “You are mocking me.” (y/n) threw her hands up and feigned innocence. “Me? Never. You said it yourself that you know him more than anything, so let’s go.” Annora said nothing as she proceeds to walk and lead (y/n) to the dorms with (y/n) dragging along, planning her next move.

…

“So wait, you ended up here after that?” “Sure did Sniper, though it wasn’t pretty.” Engineer and Sniper were walking down the hall as the doors hanged around them. “So, let me get this straight. You actually met Leonardo?” “That’s right, (y/n) an’ I got ah helpin’ hand from the old man. Sure was pleasant too,” Engineer said as he led Sniper down the hall. Sniper glanced around at the doors. “Wot’s all this?” “That happens to lead to different rooms ‘round here, nothin’ you need to worry about,” Engineer casually said. A bang hit one of the doors as Sniper and Engineer passed it. “Ignore that one though,” Engineer said as Sniper quickly walked next to him. “Where are we goin’ mate?” “We’re gonna go see if we can talk to (y/n) an’ tell her what she’s gotta do to help us get together. Though we can only talk for a while before we disconnect as always. Ah’ almost got her to know that ah’ was still alive before somethin’ happened.” Sniper said nothing as they finally found themselves in front of the white door. “That’s the thing?” Sniper asked. “Yes sir.” “But, it’s just loike any other door in this place.” “That’s what ah’ thought too, but don’t let it fool you.” Engineer grabbed the door and slowly opened it. Sniper sighed as he returned to his quiet attitude, but he started to hear something reach his ear. He quickly looked around. “What the hell mate?” Engineer turned around as he waved his hand off. “Don’t worry ‘bout that son, it’s good that you hear them whisperin’ to ya.” Sniper looked at Engineer with a ridiculous look. “How the hell is that a good thing?” “Trust me, it comes in handy. How’d ya think ah found you?” Engineer opened the door all the way as he stepped into the room. Sniper took a glance and noticed the feature of the room as Engineer started going down the stairs. He glanced over his shoulder, beckoning Sniper. “No need to be afraid son, ah’m tellin’ ya it’s gonna work.” Sniper looked around again before he slowly stepped in the room and slowly closed the door behind him.

The room seemed captivating to Sniper as he took in the carved details of the room. Engineer was already sitting himself down in the middle of the room as he waited for Sniper to finish watching. “This isn’t loike any place oi’ve seen before,” Sniper said as he felt one of the walls, the carvings under his skin giving him a tingling sensation. “Ah’ thought the same thing too, now get over here so we can try to contact (y/n),” Engineer said as he saved a spot for Sniper. Sniper slowly sat down next to them as they fell in silence. Sniper noticed that there was nothing else in the room except for them as they sat there. Sniper looked for any communication machine, walkie talkie, but there was nothing else. “Oi Engie,” Sniper said, “how in the hell are we supposed to talk to her if they got nothin’ else here?” “Right,” Engineer said as he straightened out. “The way we’re gonna communicate is with our minds. Now, ah’ think ah’ have a theory to how we can do this. Maybe if we think harder enough about the person, then we can get a good attachment to (y/n).” Sniper was baffled at this as he quickly sat up. “This whole toime oi thought you were talking about some talking system or something!” Engineer gave him a look before standing up as well. “Now son,” he said in a calm voice, “ah’m tellin’ ya that ah’ could see (y/n) and she almost knew ah’ was here. If we could work together, we could reach out to her.” “This is ridiculous mate, have you lost your mind already?!” Sniper said with disbelief. “You’ve done it again, Engineer! You are outta ya wits for crickey sake!” Sniper started to turn away and walk back out as Engineer quickly stood up and grabbed his arm. “Sniper, please trust me.” “Loike the time oi trusted you to make sure (y/n) was going to be okay?” Sniper pulled his arm away as he started to walk again. “Sniper, stop! Just trust me on this one. Don’t ya want to get outta here son and find (y/n)?” “Of course, oi do, but not with some ridiculous crap loike this!” Sniper made his way up the stairs as Engineer quickly followed him. “Sniper, wait!” But Sniper was already reaching for the door handle and wretched it open.

“What the bloody hell?!” Sniper recoiled as he was greeted by darkness again. He slowly backed up and turned to ask Engineer what he did when he gaped. There was no room anymore as Engineer stood in the middle of the darkness, standing still. “Engineer, what the hell did you do mate?!” “Ah’ told you that we were gonna find (y/n),” Engineer said as he closed his eyes and thought. “You bleedin’ idiot, you got us stuck here!” Engineer sighed as he continued to think. “Sniper, just think about (y/n) quickly.” “And why the hell would oi do that now?!” Engineer opened his eyes as he glared at Sniper. “Unless you want them folks to hurt (y/n) and kill her, then ah’ tell you Sniper! Stop actin’ like ah’ tootin’ damn child and think!” Engineer closed his eyes as Sniper stood there. He noticed that the place was quiet, almost like the dark room he was in before. Sniper shook his head as he called out. “Engie!” Engineer ignored him as the whispers reached his ears again. “Engie!” Sniper called as he started to walk towards Engineer. Engineer started to back away as he thought harder, sweat starting to fall from his forehead as a small vein began to form. “Take us back now before oi put a bullet in your head!” Sniper got angry as Engineer continued his antics, but then he heard something behind him. Sniper quickly turned around and saw nothing, but he started to hear a familiar voice reach his ears. It was faint, but he could make out the words. _“Are you that stupid?”_ “Sheila?!” Sniper looked around as the voice disappeared. He turned around to see Engineer still close his eyes. “Sniper,” he said in strained voice, “help me out. Ah’ promise it’s gonna work… it’s gonna work.” Sniper said nothing else as he slowly walked next to Engineer and started to think along with him. He started to think about the place where (y/n) was, what she was doing, and how she was doing as they stood in the darkness, the whispering rising again as the two prepared.

…

“We are here.” Annora and (y/n) stood outside what looked like old sliding doors covered in dirt and stains. “What the hell is this?” (y/n) asked as Annora started to grasp the door. “This used to be Minerva’s room,” she said as she slowly slid the door open. The door wouldn’t budge a bit as (y/n) head the door squeak. Annora sighed as she gripped the side and started to tug on the door until it gave them a small entrance. “Come,” she said as she slid through the space, (y/n) following behind. They made their way into an abandoned small laboratory decorated in circuits and broken walls. “What happened here?” (y/n) looked around, taking notice of the old bed on the side, the broken and chipped dresser next to it with the mirror facing them. She looked in the mirror and realized how the woman looked so much like her with the only difference was that of age. “This used to be his room,” Annora said as she started to wander around. “After he was terminated, they destroyed most of his things with it. The only thing here is a bed with some old lab equipment and a dresser. However, I was able to find one thing here.” Annora walked towards the wall next to the bed as she slowly placed her hands on the wall. (y/n) heard a small whirring sound as part of the wall detached and showed a small box. Annora pulled it out of the small hole it was in and placed it on the bed, opening the box up. “I had to hide it here for now, but all I found in here are old pictures and a few theories and ideas in the old thing.” She pulled out some pictures of ‘Minerva’ and notes with scribbles. (y/n) slowly picked them up as she examined the first picture. There was a young man next to a young Annora, who looked exactly like (y/n). She and Minerva were posing outside of a building, what she assumed was the building they were in now. (y/n) glanced at the smiling figures as she dropped the photo on the bed. “These notes seem to be written in different languages and transcripts, but I managed to read about a few of them that I know of. Most of what he speaks of are just about other experiments or other nonsense. But the other things that I have not figured out yet seem to be written in a different language that I am not familiar of.” She handed (y/n) a crumpled note covered in dust. (y/n) slowly grabbed it and examined the exotic symbols and handwriting. “Can’t you just scan it and decipher it with your technology or something?” “The technology here can only decipher what we put in the system, but it seems that Minerva wrote it in a language that is not common here. Not even the machine could find a match in the dialect written here.” (y/n) glanced at it again as the symbols danced across the paper.

“So, are there other things that we can look for at least?” (y/n) asked as she held onto the paper. “I have a theory that there must be another thing in here. I have checked the walls for anything else, but I believe that the clue is on that piece of paper that you are holding.” (y/n) glanced at the symbols again. It was strange to her that the symbols almost looked like hieroglyphics, yet they were not. To her, it was like some alien wrote down their own language. “Well, what now?” “I am not sure myself,” Annora said as she wandered around the room, thinking. “I have thought that he would have left something easy, even if it were not me, how would his trusted person find it?” (y/n) paused as she glanced at the image. Her eye caught something standing out behind the image as she looked closer. Behind the people in the image was a small dent along the side. “Wait a minute,” she thought as she squinted for a moment. Annora stopped pacing around the room. “My other theory was going to be…” She stopped as she noticed (y/n) squinting at the photo. “What is it?” An idea came up. “Annora,” (y/n) said, “do you have any lemon juice?” Annora looked puzzled. “I do not see why you would need lemon juice.” “Don’t ask questions, I need to get lemon juice.” (y/n) was about to get up when Annora placed a hand on her shoulder. “You wait here,” Annora said. (y/n) stopped as she stared at the woman. “What, you don’t trust me?” Annora gave a small chuckle. “No, it is just best that you stay here and make sure no one else enters.” (y/n) crossed her arms as Annora slid through the crack. “One more thing,” she said before clicking a few things on her arm. A sound was heard as light shot out and scanned the door, creating a net of green lights. “In case you get any ideas, these will tell me if you get out of the room. So, do not get any ideas of escaping.” (y/n) rolled her eyes as the woman left. “Work together my ass,” (y/n) said aloud. She sighed as she sat on the bed and glanced around the room. “Please tell me I am not going to be here for a long time,” she thought.

 _“(y/n).”_ (y/n) flipped around as she jumped. “What the jack in the box hell was that?!” She glanced around. “No way,” (y/n) said as she froze on the bed. She could have sworn she heard a voice loud and clear calling her name. “Hello?” She glanced around, gripping the old sheets on the bed. “Who’s there?” She called out. “Who the hell are you?” She heard a faint whisper again as she went to stand up. She looked at the door and peeked through, trying to see if anyone was calling her outside. “Annora?” No one answered. Suddenly, (y/n) felt a small gush of air through the room as it moved some of the papers from the box. “Shit, my mind’s messing me up.” She turned around as she stood in the middle of the room, glancing behind her back. _“(y/n).”_ “Yeah, that’s me so who are you?!” She glanced around before she heard hushed whispers. “Where the heck…” Her breath started to heave as she felt her palms start to sweat. _“(y/n)…”_ “Huh…” (y/n) started to feel dizzy as she felt herself lean to the side. She felt herself fall to the ground as her ears started ringing. “W-What is… h-happening…” she managed to sputter out. Her vision started to fade as she heard the faint voice again. _“It’s okay (y/n)…”_ “E… E… Engie?” She said in a tired voice before she felt her head collapse on the floor as everything went dark. 


	17. A Reunion... Sort Of

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Engineer and Sniper reunite and (y/n) is figuring out what to do while keeping an eye on Annora. However, (y/n) slowly finds her way discovering things about 'Minerva' that makes her raise more suspicions about him and Annora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I know it's been so long since I've been on here. I just want to say that this story is almost done. With only about three to four chapters left, it has taken me a while. Luckily, I haven't forgotten about this good story yet.

“Engie, are you sure this is gonna work?” "It has to, it did last time. Maybe we need to wait a bit longer before…” Engineer stopped before he heard a noise. Sniper picked it up as he looked around. “What the bloody hell was that?” Engineer looked around for the sound. “Gee, ah never heard that before when ah was here.” “Then who the hell is it, mate?” Sniper and Engineer were on alert as they glanced around the dark. They couldn’t see anything as they glanced around, finding the source of the noise. Sniper and Engineer glanced at the distance as they heard a rustling noise. Engineer took a few steps towards the noise. Sniper grabbed his shoulder. “Wait a minute mate, are ya sure it’s even safe to go from here?” “Well, we can’t just wait forever.” Engineer continued to slowly walk as Sniper trailed behind him, his eyes glancing around through his sunglasses. “Who goes there?” He asked as the sound grew louder. Engineer heard what sounded like frantic footsteps until he heard a familiar sound.

“Where the hell am I, how the hell did this happen?” Engineer’s eyes widen as a figure showed up in the distance. “Hello, anyone here?” It shouted again. “Holy shit,” Sniper said as he rubbed his head. “Oi don’t believe it…” “(y/n)!” Engineer shouted as he took off running. “(y/n), over here!” The figure was seen turning its head. “Engie?” It said again. Sniper couldn’t believe it. He ran with Engineer, eventually passing him with his height. “Over here, Shelia!” (y/n) stared for a moment as her brain processed what was happening. She saw the figure and rubbed her eyes, making sure that it wasn’t a dream. “Is that…” (y/n) saw Engineer and Sniper running towards her. When her brain confirmed the figures, her mouth turned into a large upward smile. “Engie, Sniper!” Her legs started to work as she took off running as they all met halfway. Engineer wasted no time as he wrapped (y/n) and swung her around. “Oh golly!” (y/n) held tightly as she started to laugh. She felt everything melt away as she just felt his embrace. “Oh my god, you’re still alive, you’re still alive!” (y/n) could feel the weight that was placed on her shoulders start to melt away as she felt the embrace of her lost teammates. She could feel Sniper holler as he wrapped his lanky body around both as she started to feel her cheeks hurt. Relief flooded through as she realized how real it was, how they were both standing there and how she could feel the heat that confirmed that it wasn’t a dream. “Engie, Sniper, I can’t believe you guys are still here!” She felt them release as Engie grabbed her shoulders. It was then he noticed the outfit she was wearing and looking at her new look. His face faltered as he almost started to laugh, which Sniper followed suit. (y/n) paused before looking at herself and punched his arm. “Stop laughing, it wasn’t my choice anyway!” Engineer rubbed his arm as Sniper chuckled. “How did you make it out alive Engie, I thought you died.”

“It’s ah long story to explain bee,” he said. “To cut the script, that damn Spy destroyed the time machine and caused us to end up here in a place called ‘The Realm’.” (y/n) recognized the name. “I know about that, Annora was talking to me about it.” Engineer’s eyes darkened at the name. He quickly grabbed (y/n) and checked her, catching her by surprise. “W-What are you doing?” “Are you hurt,” he said with concern, “did she do anything to you?” (y/n) gawked. “What, no! I’m fine, besides I can take care of myself.” She turned to Sniper, who tried to remain composed. “Shelia, where have you been?” Sniper asked. (y/n) gave him a look. “I should be asking you that, how are you here, where’s the rest of the team?” Sniper paused for a moment, regaining the thoughts of his previous encounter before speaking. “Oi… don’t know what happened,” he said, “one moment the team and oi were here and then… the next thing was that all of us started disappearing from a hole in the bloody sky!” He waved his arms in the air and then pointed to Engineer. “And oi bet it’s this bloke’s fault!” Engineer turned to him with a weird look. “Me? Ah tell you it’s that damn spy!” “If maybe you didn’t have to leave (y/n) behind, you would’ve gotten the job done by now!” “Guys, stop!” (y/n) said as she cut the argument. “The point is we’re together now and we can solve this problem.” “Ah agree, we don’t have much time here anyway. Ah’ don’t know how long we can keep this connection between us.” “Right,” Sniper said. “Now (y/n), you saw the portal in the lab you were in I reckon.” (y/n) nodded her head. “I heard that the portal was supposed to lead to this place.” “It is, but we have to make one here in order for it to work, but ah’m gonna need your help in fixing the portal to make things right.” “Me, but how? I’m not an engineer, I can’t fix stuff like this. Does it look like I stress my life out and earn pHDs?” “The girl’s roight mate, even oi know she can’t fix teleporters like you.” Engineer sighed as he rubbed his head. “You don’t have to (y/n), we’re gonna get someone else to do the dirty work?” “Who?” (y/n) asked. Engineer gave her a “are you serious” look before (y/n) realized what he meant. “Oh god,” (y/n) groaned, “I have to work with Annora? We can’t let her do that though, I already know that she’s up to no good here!” Engineer sighed. “But it’s the only chance we got (y/n); we’re runnin’ out of time here.”

“Who’s this Annora?” Sniper asked. “Ah’ll explain later Sniper,” Engie said. “But right now, we need to figure this out.” “She said that this guy found a way to access ‘The Realm’, but we have to find his work to make the portal work.” “Ah can’t figure out this new tech yet but see what you can find. But be careful with that gal, ah’ reckon she’s up to no good from what ah’ heard.” “Yeah, I got that right away,” (y/n) said with a frown. She turned her attention to Sniper. “Where’s the rest of the team?” “Oi… don’t know,” Sniper said, “they didn’t make it like oi did.” “This place is unpredictable man,” Engineer said. “Engineer, can we even fix our timeline?” (y/n) asked. Engineer sighed as he thought about it. “Well, ah’ can say that there’s a possibility that we can reverse the effects of the broken timeline, but it’s gonna be hard to do that in a place where time and space don’t even exist. Ah’ can probably do it if ah’ come to the other timeline you’re in. Ah’ have to find some way to reverse it and conceal the blackhole before it does anymore damage.” “What do I do for now?” Sniper crossed his arms. “Oi don’t like you going off on your own Sheila, you already look like a broad to begin with.” “Oh shut up!” (y/n) shouted as she glared at him. Sniper gave a low smirk, but it disappeared as Engineer looked at him. (y/n) rolled her eyes. “I can handle myself just fine and you guys have each other. I’m left with a stinking snake that I have to keep around for now.” Engineer placed a hand on her shoulder. “Sniper’s right though, ah’ don’t like the feeling of leaving you with someone like her. Ah’ feel that she’ll get the chance to…” “She must be smoking something if she plans to kill me,” (y/n) said with a smirk. “What do you mean Shelia?” Sniper raised his eyebrow. “Apparently, I’m her original in the timeline,” she said. Engineer raised his eyebrows as Sniper was confused. “Original, what the hell are you going on about?” “That explains why she took you,” Engineer said. “Each timeline creates a parallel universe where we have multiple versions of ourselves. There is also a chance that we may be the original copies of ourselves, which has caused the other timelines to thrive. If we die, then we also kill the others in that timeline. Annora knew that she was going to die if she left (y/n), so she took her to another timeline. But…” Engineer’s voice faltered as he thought more about it. “But what, don’t tell me there’s something wrong with that.” Engineer gave her a concerned look as he took off his helmet and rubbed some sweat off his head. “Guys, we really don’t have much time at this rate.” “Well, get on with it mate, what’s the John Dory?” “Since we already destroyed one timeline, it has already put everything else in disorder. And since (y/n) doesn’t belong in this one, it’s already creating more instability in the process. This could be bad for both Annora, (y/n), and everyone else in that timeline. Ah’m afraid that if (y/n) continues to stay in that timeline, she might start to…” “To what?” (y/n) stared at Engineer, who seemed hesitant to continue. “Engineer, what’s going to happen? Tell me.” “Mate…” Sniper said with a stern look. “What’s going on?” “She might… disappear from the timeline permanently and be placed in a state way beyond anything.”

somewhere else. She could feel her heart beating, the constant rhythm touching her chest, sending vibrations through her body, to her ears that listened to the involuntary song. For once, she could feel her heart start to create a faster rhythm, the sweat that it sent to be the buildup of her realization as she felt her fingers twitch. (y/n) could feel her eyes dilating and constricting, staring into nothing but thought, as her mind swirled around the news of her new fate. Sniper turned to (y/n) to say something but stopped when she was still. “Shelia, you alroight?” “(y/n)?” Engineer slowly took a step forward as his hand slowly came up to touch her shoulder again, but Sniper grabbed his wrist, shaking his head slowly. It felt that everything was closing in, she could feel the air change, she could feel the dark abyss closing in, wrapping around her body, wrapping around her head. (y/n) found herself absorbed in thought, feeling the hairs tickling her skin, feeling the absent of wind in the place she was in. The voices of Sniper and Engineer questioning her seemed to fade away in the distance as she felt the room shake.

A scream ripped from her throat as Engineer and Sniper stepped back in surprise, Engineer falling on his butt as the sound of (y/n) screaming filled the room. Her voice seemed to raise in octave, her throat releasing her pent-up stress and the scenes before her that unfolded. Her memories of the timeline, the wormholes, the possibility, and her disappearance made her rake her fingers through her head. “Crickey!” Sniper quickly grabbed hold of her as she started to feel her chest tighten. Without hesitation, he quickly wrapped his arms around her, locking her in as Engineer quickly got to his feet. “Darlin’ what’s wrong with you?” (y/n) started to gasp as she grabbed onto Sniper’s arms, her nails digging into his skin. Sniper cringed as he felt his skin open up, feeling a soft liquid drip down. (y/n) would care about what was going on, but she felt that she was stuck in a lapse of anxiety and terror as her knees gave out, causing her to fall on the floor. Sniper went along with her, hugging her as he spoke words in her ears of comfort. Engineer rubbed his head back as he watched his friend fall apart. Her hair was disheveled, her breathing was rasp, and her form was shaking as Sniper tried to calm her down. Engineer was rubbing his head, his eyes glued to her form. “Ah geez,” he said, “ah’m sorry if this is too much for you.” At this point, Sniper couldn’t say anything. He had never seen his friend go through… what was that word called… anxiety. (y/n) was usually a calm and collected person who knew what to do, who would usually be under control when pressure was high, but now was a different person falling apart.

Engineer could feel the atmosphere of the room change as the sound of (y/n) gasping was heard. “Shelia, it’s okay,” Sniper whispered into her ear. The pain in her chest slowly started to go away, her gasps started to settle down as she listened to Sniper. She closed her eyes as she gathered her thoughts. Engineer slowly walked over to them and kneeled in front of (y/n). “Are you okay?” She slowly opened her eyes as she stared up at Engineer. Sniper said nothing else as he waited for her to say something. Engineer saw sweat dripping from her forehead. He reached a hand out and softly wiped the skin, cleaning it. (y/n) sighed as she felt his hand and started to calm down. “Engie…” she said in a quiet voice. “I-Is there a way… to stop this?” Engineer sighed as he looked away for a moment. “All ah’ can say is… you have some time to complete the portal. All you need to do is get Annora to figure out how to build it. Ah’ can find my own way around it.” “B-But…” (y/n) grabbed onto Engineer’s hand. “S-She wants us to do t-this… what do I do about her?” “Shelia, you’re just going to have to be careful,” Sniper said in a low voice. “Don’t let her do anything twisted, but make sure she does what she has to do.” (y/n) slowly nodded her head. Sniper grabbed her elbows as he helped her back up, her legs shaking for a moment before regaining their posture. “Oi know you had a rough day (y/n),” Sniper said, “but please hold on a bit longer. We’ll figure this out and go back home soon.” (y/n) stood up as she sighed, looking around the room. She felt the atmosphere start to change. “How much time do we have here?” “Ah’ don’t know, but it feels like we won’t have much. In the meantime, you should head back before anyone finds you.” “Right.”

The room started to shake as the ground gave a soft rumble. “What’s happening?” (y/n) asked as she felt a noise sound throughout the place. “Ah’ think we’re startin’ to disconnect hun,” he said as Sniper balanced himself. She felt her head start to spin as she tried to balance herself. Engineer managed to catch her before she fell to the ground. “Engie… I can’t go yet.” “Ah’ know, but ah’ can’t do anything about it,” he said with concern. Sniper quickly kneeled next to them as the room started to shrink. (y/n) felt the room spinning as she suddenly remembered something. “Engie… reach into my pocket,” she said. Engineer looked down and placed his hand in her pocket, fumbling around before his hand grasped paper. He slowly pulled it out and opened it, shock written on his face. “(y/n),” he said looking at her, “this is…” “I… found it on the table…” she said as her vision started to grow hazy. “It’s one… of yours…” she said as she started to fade. “Wait… I don’t want… to go yet…” Engineer sighed as he grabbed her hand, caressing her cheek. “It’s okay, we’ll be back soon.” (y/n) sighed as her vision grew hazy, feeling her body go limp. “Engineer, you can do this…” Then, Engineer felt her body start to dissolve as Sniper grasped onto her hand, but it went right through her. “Don’t worry, we’re gonna get out of here,” Engineer said before (y/n) felt herself slip out of consciousness before everything went black. Engineer blinked as they found themselves back in the white room. Sniper glanced around, gawking at the transformation. “How in the bloody hell…” Engineer thought about (y/n) before he felt something in his hand. He glanced down and gasped. The paper made its way into his hand as he opened his back up and found the formula from before. Sniper looked at him. “Well mate, what’s it gonna be?” Engineer said nothing for a moment before he glanced back up at Sniper with a hard face. “We’re gonna build ourselves a portal.”

…

(y/n) gasped as she shot up from the bed. “Oh, my frick!” She grabbed her chest as she looked around the room. “What the hell happened…” Her mind was hazy for a moment before she started to recall the events. “What the…” she slowly grasped into her pocket to feel for the paper, but there was nothing there. She paused before she realized that it was gone. “No, there’s no way that was real,” she said to herself. “I must’ve been dreaming, there was no way I saw Engineer and Sniper…” She felt heat on her forehead. (y/n) hesitantly reached up and placed her fingers on her skin, touching it before examining it. She noticed that there was a smudge mark on her forehead. It was strange, there was no smudge there before on her head unless she wasn’t paying attention. However, a faint smell reached her nose as she leaned in and sniffed it, her eyes widening. “No…” Her mind recognized it as the smell of rubber, but it wasn’t just any rubber, it was… “There’s no way… that was real?” (y/n) glanced around as she checked the room. It wasn’t dark, it was the same old room that she was in before. “How the hell did that happen? Engineer and Sniper… they’re… but then that means…” The words hit her as she felt her body freeze up. She remembered what Engineer said to her before she left. “Oh my god…” she whispered. “I… I don’t have much time, do I?” (y/n) glanced around and back down at the photographs she saw. She quickly looked through it for anything. She still had the old picture in her hand from before, but she continued looking in the box for anything else. All she found were just more photographs. “Okay, there has to be more in here than just this. And I can’t even figure things out without lemon juice yet, I don’t even know if any clues will be there, it’s just a theory.” (y/n) started to look around the room, checking for anything. She looked through the other drawers, but only found dust and chipped wood. “Okay Minerva…” she said as she huffed, “whatever you were hiding, it must’ve been really important.” “Why on earth would anything be in here anyway, this is just a dump to begin with,” (y/n) said as she kicked aside a piece of metal as it bumped into the wall, making a hard sound.

The door opened again, the security disappearing as Minerva appears holding the items she needed. (y/n) turned around at the sound, turning into a look of disinterest. “Oh, it’s you again.” The woman tossed her the items as (y/n) caught them with ease. “Do not give me that look, remember that you need me to get you out of here.” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “And I can kill myself any minute.” The woman’s face darkened as (y/n) gave a shit-eating grin. “Please, do not do anything drastic now, we still have to look for the codes.” (y/n) picked up the picture, grabbed the lemon, and just sat there. Annora eyed her, then the lemon, and then her again. “Well, what seems to be the problem?” Annora asked. “I need a knife,” (y/n) said. Annora stared once more before she snatched the lemon. “Hey!” (y/n) went to grab it, but Annora pushed her back. “Do you take me to be a fool?” Annora said as she used her finger to produce a laser that cut the lemon in half. “No, but you could at least give me something in case something goes wrong. Besides,” (y/n) said as Annora handed her the piece, “I thought it was good if we trust each other.” Annora said nothing. “Seriously, you think I’m that evil to backstab you or something?” (y/n) whined. Annora handed her the lemon slice. “And must you think of me as the jester of the king who is at your mercy of entertainment?” “If you were, I’d kill myself from boredom of your nonexistent humor,” (y/n) sneered. “Get to the point of what you are trying to show me, I do not see why on earth you would need this sort of food.” “Oh please, you should know by now of my idea,” (y/n) said. Annora raised an eyebrow. “Unfortunately, I do not see why on earth a lemon would relate with an old picture. Now, I do not even see any use of it.” (y/n) gave her a serious look. “Really? This is like one of the oldest tricks in hiding messages. Even some of the colonists would use this.” “The colonists?” (y/n) deadpanned. “Right, you’re not from my world that you destroyed at your mercy anyway, so you wouldn’t know anything.” She turned to the picture as she raised it to the ceiling again. She glanced until she found a particular spot that she wanted before laying it flat on the table, the back of the picture facing them. She placed the lemon above and gave it a squeeze, watching the lemon juice soak on the back in tiny droplets, the sour smell reaching her nostrils. “What is this… technique?” Annora questioned as she glanced over (y/n). “This,” she said, “is what we used in our time to engrave hidden messages. The lemon juice is one of the main components of revealing the message.” Once (y/n) was done, she placed the lemon aside and waited for a moment. Annora watched the paper but was still confused about it. “I do not get it, where is this message that you theorize?” (y/n) turned to her. “I need heat in order to reveal it, if it’s even there to begin with.” “What does heat have to do with this-” “Oh my god, could you just shut up and give me a radiator or some shit like that?” (y/n) asked with annoyance.

Annora signed as she raised her arm and typed a few symbols before the palm of her hand started to glow yellow. She hovered her hand over the picture as (y/n) heard a few sizzles. She watched as the paper started to turn a light color before seeing a brown dot in the middle. The small dot that appeared began to form a line, which grew into curves and edges as unknown symbols began to appear. Annora was stunned as the symbols started to appear on the paper as (y/n) smirked. “Bingo,” she said. Annora moved her hand away as she started to read the symbols. Her face seemed to show her in thought as (y/n) glanced at the symbols and back at her. “So,” she said, “what do you think?” Annora scanned the language before she turned her attention to (y/n). “It seems to be a code that must access one of his files. However, it is only part of the puzzle that we must solve. It seems to have left some sort of clue for us to find. He would never leave all his information in one section, that would be an amateur.” “So, there’s other pieces like this around the area?” “Precisely. From what I can observe, this code is limited to a certain amount that requires three more pieces. Then, we can head back to the lab to experiment with the portal once more.” She folded the piece into her pocket. “It seems to me that you are not useless after all, I will admit that perhaps some techniques of yours will be useful.” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “And you think I’m the horrible person here.” Annora gave a smirk as she turned around. “If you call yourself a horrible person, then I am one as well.” She opened the door as (y/n) followed behind. “The audacity of this witch,” she thought. “I still need to play this safe, as it is, she already knows that I suspect something about her. If she knew about Engineer and me, then I think we’re done for.”

Annora and (y/n) walked down the hall, passing by multiple people. Annora glanced at her arm and pressed some buttons as a hologram of a clock appeared in the air. A countdown appeared as the seconds ticked up and the minutes walked slowly along. Annora grimaced as she saw the numbers go down. (y/n) glanced at her for a moment, noticing her grim expression. “What’s got you all worked up?” The hologram dispersed. “Perhaps if I tell you what has happened during your absence, then maybe you will start taking this seriously.” (y/n) only gave her a side glare. “As you know,” Annora said, “we are on a tight schedule. Due to the corruption in the system, I have been sentenced for a termination in approximately 30 days. If I do not solve this problem soon, then we will not be able to get your friends back.” (y/n) listened closely. “Wait, I thought you were the one in charge on this place.” “I oversee this research facility, yes. However, the one who makes the decisions overall is the council of authority.” (y/n) gave her a questioning look. “The council?” Annora sighed. “Indeed, the council is a group that contains the seven highest members in our society. They were the ones who raised our society for years on end and gave birth to our lives here. They oversee our centers and so many more.” However, the woman’s demeanor changed, which (y/n) noticed. “You look like you have problems with this council, don’t you?” Annora sighed. “I do not get upset with the council; they are indeed magnanimous people that are only guiding our society to become… perfect.” “Perfect?” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “Nobody can ever be perfect; everyone is bound to have a flaw.” “False,” Annora said as she turned to (y/n). “Unlike you, who comes from an advancing and behind society, we have evolved and expanded our ways here. We have discovered possibilities that make our expectations high and our curiosity greater than before. For others, they have been spared from death, gracing our society with inventions, and giving up opportunities to see more of this world. But for me, it seems that death seems to be inevitable for a being like me, considering that I will die either way for now.” “So then why the hell are you still trying to figure this out instead of running away or just facing your death?” Annora looked away for a moment, staring ahead as (y/n) looked at her face: unmoving yet restless, but also aged from stress and framed with knowledge. Finally, she turned back to answer. “The way I see it, I shall make the most of my life that I have left. If I must be terminated, then might as well do anything I can before I regret any of this. For 30 years, I have seen friends come and go, colleagues climb the ladder to becoming ashes the next day, scientists succeeding yet having regrets before they meet their end. Better yet, most of them meet death by regretting their mistakes. As for me, I plan to be different, I plan to repent on my behalf for what I have done. Had I found out sooner, I would have saved everyone, but I did not. Therefore, I must do something else to make up for my lack of failure.” Then, she seemed to have given (y/n) an almost pleading look, almost like a sorrowful mother. “I know how much your friend meant to you. I know you are human just as I am in this world. I have felt your pain in losing everything before you. Had I come earlier, perhaps I would have thought of an alternative solution for the both of us, but now this is a mistake that I am willing to undo for the time being so nothing will be left for the dead.” (y/n) paused for a moment as she stared at the woman, her mouth parting. “You mean… you didn’t want to hurt him?” Annora sighed, not sparing a glance at her. 

"(y/n), I would like for you to understand something." (y/n) gave her a side glance. "What is there to understand? It's not like people are forcing you to do all these things." "It is exactly like that which you do not understand. What I have to say and what I want to do are irrelevant when it is taken to account with the council. If they want someone terminated, I must follow orders; if the council would like to halt our research, then I must stop my research; if the council desires me to kill the one I love the most, then I must lay my feelings to the side and do what I must to the best of my abilities." (y/n) stayed quiet for a while, contemplating. Annora took the silence for her to continue. "I do not want to kill your friend, seeing how you adore him, but I cannot do anything about your wish. I must do what is right for the sake of my world and for yours." Her statement made (y/n) roll her eyes. "Are you kidding me? No one is making you do all these things against your will." Annora glared at her. "It seems that you have not heard what I said-" "I know what you said and you know what," (y/n) said as she faced her, "it's all complete shit." "You are an absurd person-" "No you listen here," (y/n) said as she pointed a finger. "Every human being has a conscience and holds their own morals. No one forces anyone to do anything in a situation like this. From the way I see it, they give you the orders and you say that you have no choice, but you're wrong. You do have a choice; you have a choice on whether you should or not, whether what you are doing is right or wrong, and you have a chance to choose to do it or not even though it's not right. Human beings shouldn't have to be chained to do things for people even though it's wrong. For you, you're too afraid to do the right thing and instead would rather let them kick you to the ground and submit to their mercy. Then you just turn around and say that you can't do anything about it when you came. Stop telling me your fake pity fest and admit that you're scared and that you just listen to them like a dog's bitch-" 

She felt the wind knock out of her in a flash as she felt the cold and smooth texture of the wall, feeling pressure against her neck. (y/n) realized that the woman had just slammed her against the adjacent wall as a hand wrapped around her throat. Out of habit, she instantly wrapped her hand around her wrist, attempting to get her off. She glanced up and froze as her eyes made contact with two cold and raging ones. She managed to see more of her facial features as the woman leaned close. She could feel the heat of anger and emotions flowing out from her expression: the cold and dark eyes staring into her own, the way her breath flowed in and out, unleashing warmth onto (y/n)’s face, and the way her lips softly trembled with uncontrolled emotions. Annora said nothing else as (y/n) realized she was facing a completely different person. To her, it seemed that the soft wrinkles that were on her face deepened more, the reserved person could stare deeper into her soul as she felt the hand around her tighten. (y/n) started to gasp for air, trying to push her off, but the woman seemed to be unfazed. (y/n) glanced up, staring with her mouth open as the woman’s lips seemed to twitch, showing a faint smirk. But she couldn’t help but stare into her eyes, something about her that made the hairs on her neck stand up. She tried to recall a time she felt this, but it was something different about her now that made (y/n) almost… terrified. It was as if she could feel herself almost naked, so vulnerable the more she felt those eyes stare at her. (y/n) couldn’t describe much of her emotions, but it was like some of the men on the battlefield during a match, when they rush in with no hesitation, when they are in rage that they run with their weapons up, the maniac smile on their faces. "You listen here you brat," she said in a malice voice. "For years, I have had to endure their council, their orders, their deeds, and follow a path that I cannot go back. I have sacrificed so many that you have no idea how much it pains me to remember them. If you think that I will be insulted and talked to like this from a low-life such as yourself, then you have misunderstood me." She leaned closer, (y/n) could smell her breath. "Let me make myself a little clear: I will not hesitate to kill if I must, I will not hesitate to get the job done, and I will not hesitate to put you in your place if you keep acting out of line again. I am the one in charge here, not you. I am the one who is going to make everything right again without needing your tormenting comments and sly remarks. Understand that, miss?" (y/n) gasped as she struggled to speak. "Y-You're a jerk... I-I knew I... c-couldn't trust... y-you..." "It is your fault here that you do not trust me," she said with venom. "I have tried to be patient with you, unfortunately you do not seem to want to come to an agreement with me. You must be asking for death to come to your doorstep with your ways. Perhaps you may also want to join your friends on the other side as well." There it was, (y/n) could see what the glint in her eyes were: the intent to kill, the delightful pleasure of taking the kill on the spot. (y/n) could feel her throat constrict more as Annora continued to slowly add more pressure. “W-Wait…” (y/n) managed to spit out as she felt her lungs tighten. She started to kick her chest, but she saw something happening to her face. Her lips slowly started to ascend, parting to show a dark abyss in between, the pink and textured flesh rising into a sinister smile, the pleasure from her gasping and grabbing her arm, adding more pleasure to the smirk that appeared on her face. Her eyes seemed to have excitement in them as she enjoyed the reaction (y/n) fell victim to as she felt her vision develop black dots along the side. “A-Annora… l-let… go….” (y/n) could barely talk as her words reached nothing but the cold air. She didn’t answer her statement but continued on as her eyes flickered. She felt her limbs start to numb as her grip around the woman’s arm began to soften.

“C-Commander Annora?” A miracle, that was what she felt as death slowly disappeared from her throat as she felt herself falling to the ground. She felt herself gasping for relief as the cold air quickly filled her lungs. Her knees dug into the hard ground as her hands reached to her throat. She shut her eyes, coughing from the air rushing in and having the feeling of her lungs fill back up. The woman in front of her fell silent as (y/n) slowly opened her eye, looking to the side to see what God had sent her this time. “Ah, Dr. Agar.” The said scientist stood a few feet away, papers in her arms as she stared at Annora in shock. Annora patted down her uniform as she glanced down at (y/n). In a second, (y/n) felt arms wrap around her form as she was hoisted up into the air. (y/n) reached a hand up to her throat, feeling a burning sensation from the fingers that left their marks. Dr. Agar stared back and forth between them, a nervous look on her face. “Um… did I… interrupt something?” Annora sighed as she gave a soft smile to the scientist, shaking her head. “How inappropriate of me, to do a horrible thing like this in front of my colleague,” she said in her normal voice. (y/n) glanced at Annora, staring at her as she came back to her normal personality. “What the hell,” (y/n) thought as Dr. Agar cleared her throat, staring at the ground for a moment. “Is… there a problem that you need help with Commander?” Annora sighed as she clasped her hands behind her back. “No need doctor, I apologize for the… moment. I seemed to have… felt off today.” Dr. Agar slowly nodded. (y/n) stared to see Dr. Agar slowly fiddle with her paperwork, her fingers slowly shaking. “Was there something that you needed?” Annora asked. “Ah yes,” Dr. Agar said, not sparing a glance at (y/n). “We seemed to have found something during our search.” Annora’s eyes lit up as she nodded to the doctor to continue. “There seems to be a small wave being detected from beyond the system, almost like a signal coming from the other side.” “Excellent, that is indeed some progress,” Annora said. “Could you identify the signal and where it exactly came from?” Dr. Agar fixed her glasses. “Well, it was fairly faint, so there was no time in determining the direction it came from. However, we are looking out for the signal again. The problem seems to be that it is not strong enough for the location or to be deciphered yet. My team has started to work on the transmitter right away.” “Good, it seems that you have advanced Dr. Agar,” Annora said with a nod. Dr. Agar slowly glanced over to (y/n), staring at her through the glass. (y/n) slowly looked away. “I suggest you continue with your work doctor; I do not want to leave you behind.” “Of course, Commander.” Suddenly, her eyes flickered and stared at Annora. The woman noticed. “Is there something else that you would like to say?” Dr. Agar cleared her throat as she fixed her stack of papers once again. “A-Are you okay, Commander?” Annora gave a side glance to (y/n), who could feel the sensation in her throat again. She stayed quiet through the interaction, trying to process what happened. “Of course, I just feel… stressed that is all, why do you ask?” “I mean…” Annora stared at her as she trembled under her gaze. “Y-Your… throat…” (y/n) snapped out as she heard her, looking up to see what Annora had to say about her action. However, Dr. Agar wasn’t pointing at (y/n); she was pointing at Annora.

…

“Alright, what ‘ave we got here?” Engineer clasped his hands as Elijah and the others dumped all the equipment on the ground. “We got all that you asked for man, we just need to know what to do for now and how we’re gonna build ourselves a portal.” Engineer picked up a few tools and objects, nodding his head in approval. Sniper leaned against the wall adjacent to him, glancing around the room of strangers. He shut his eyes for a moment behind his sunglasses, resting from everything that had happened beforehand. He didn’t care much about how to fix the portal. Sure, he was interested in getting home and getting the hell out of here, but how could he help if he didn’t know anything about engineering or building things? He could identify all the animals of the outback and how to shoot a bullet with one eye closed, but he knows when he needs to step back. At this point, he was just getting all the events in his head together: the black hole, ‘The Realm’, the room, and… (y/n). He can still remember how she broke down, how vulnerable she felt all over again, and the way she lost it for a moment. For some reason, seeing that made him sympathize for a moment. He wasn’t sure what exactly had happened, but it must have taken a toll on her for the most part. Sniper yawned as he stretched out his lanky legs, listening to Engineer babble on about his construction. It had been a while since he slept, since he had stayed up all night with Medic, looking out for (y/n) and Engineer during this whole mess. However, he just couldn’t seemed to fall asleep at the moment since he could feel a set of eyes penetrating his skull. Sniper slowly opened one eye and found himself staring across the room at a woman… what was her name again? Oh, it was Nova. Through his lens, Sniper could see her giving him a hard stare, scanning him up and down with her arms crossed. He slightly turned his head away and closed his eyes again. Ever since he got here, she had been nonstop staring at him, and not in a good way. Couldn’t she tell that he was with Engineer, that they were both partners and technically part of the family? But then again, he didn’t mind as long as she left him alone, he didn’t want to be involved in some drama here. As it is, there was already enough going on at the moment for all of them and he was already wondering how they were going to fix this one hell of a mess.

Engineer rubbed his chin as he examined a few more pieces before he turned to Elijah. “Hey, where’s the stabilizer?” “Oh,” Elijah said as he pointed towards the door. “I told Azriel to look for one, but they haven’t returned yet.” Nova gave a dry chuckle as she unfolded her arms. “You really think it’s a good idea to let them go off on their own?” Elijah waved his hands. “Nova, they probably ended up in the same situation as all of us. Why don’t you keep staring at that tall hunk over there? He seems to want someone to talk to.” “Um, actually…” Engineer began until Nova glared at Elijah. “What the hell are you talking about? Shut up.” Elijah started to stifle a laugh as she huffed. Sniper found himself smirking a bit, but waved it off as he lowered his hat, ignoring their comments and bickering remarks. “What a crowd of rookies you got ‘ere hardhat,” he said. Nova whipped her head around. “Who are you to call us rookies?” Sniper gave her an eye glance before he turned away and sighed, not bothering to start an argument. Engineer waved a hand to Nova. “Don’t bother with ‘im o’er there. You ain’t gonna get much outta ‘im,” he said as he started to put some pieces together. Nova grumbled as she kicked a stray part across the ground, watching it slide across. Engineer tweaked a few things as Elijah rambled on about a certain part. Sniper heard a door open on his right side, causing him to turn and watch as Azriel appeared with a glowing object in his hand. The rest of the group glanced up as he made his way over to Engineer on the ground. Sniper eyed him, feeling a chill run down his spine. The figure seemed to notice his gaze, stopping for a moment as he ever so slightly tilted their head towards him. Though he couldn’t see their eyes, Sniper felt them piercing through his cold barrier, almost feeling naked. He felt himself shift in his spot as Azriel turned way and handed the part to Engineer, who took it slowly from their hands. The figure turned to face Nova, who crossed her arms at them. “If we are to work together,” the figure said, “we must trust and rely on each other. If you have something to say, then I suggest you tell me.” Though Nova kept a hard face, Sniper saw her eyes flicker with a moment of uneasiness. Now he knew why Nova had doubts about this person.

Engineer seemed unfazed as he continued his work, telling Elijah what to do. “Now son, you gotta place this thing over ‘ere like this… Zaiden, get the motor up and runnin’ will ya?” Zaiden nodded his head as he went to work on the table, placing parts together. He managed to get little Abby to do some of the work with him, showing her the systems and process. Azriel worked on another piece as Nova watched from the corner with a stink eye. “Hey, Sniper,” Engineer called him out as he grabbed his wrench. The bushman glanced up as Engineer beckoned him over. “Ah need your help with somethin’, could ya hold this piece for me son?” Sniper nodded as he walked over and helped. Engineer sighed as he noticed there was something wrong with one of the wires. “Dag nabit,” he murmured as he reconnected them again as Sniper stabilized one part of it. “So, wot’s all this?” Engineer sighed as he bit his lip. “This right here is what’s goin’ on the stabilizer once it’s done. This is what’s gonna help create the time ah tell ya.” Sniper glanced at Azriel, watching them work on the part. He noticed that the arm belonging to them was made of some type of black and grey material, almost like it was flesh. There were a few buttons that glowed along their arms that the figure started to press before a few holograms appeared in the air. Sniper was taken aback, glancing at how advanced it was. The figure clicked a few things on the hologram before the arm warped into some sort of tool. Sniper was shocked as his mouth dropped at the sight. He could only describe the tool as some sort of flamethrower but more advanced. Blue fire started to appear as Azriel placed it to connect a few pieces. “Sniper, why don’t ya hand me that piece o’er there.” Sniper slowly closed his mouth as he glanced away. “Wot mate?” Engineer sighed as he pointed. “That piece o’er there.” With his long arms, Sniper reached for the small tube, hovering over Elijah that was working, and grasped it. As he retracted his arm, Elijah raised his head at the exact same time, feeling the tube hit the side of his head. He yelped as he grasped the small bump on his head while Sniper gave the piece to Engineer. “Ow, what the heck?!” Sniper shrugged as he tossed the piece to Engineer, who caught it with ease. “Sniper go easy on the fella. Just remember he’s another Scout.” Sniper gave a toothy chuckle as Elijah made an annoying outcry. “Just who in the heck do you think you are? I can’t be that annoying to you, right? You know, I’m much tougher than you think I am. I got the guns and the brains… wait. I think it’s brawn… either way, I got both of these things loaded right here. Also, I know how to handle myself and-” “Oh my god mate, just stop.” Sniper covered his ears as he groaned. Engineer sighed. “Ah’ told ya.” “Yeah, oi think oi got it.”

It felt like hours working on the project with Sniper feeling himself falling asleep for most of it. Eventually, Engineer told Sniper to go to the other rooms and find a bed to rest while the others work on it with him. Meanwhile, the others dispersed as Engineer decided to continue working. Engineer wiped his brow, feeling the sweat slowly evaporate from his fingers. He would lick his lips as he attempted to fix his new project. At this point, he was quite absorbed in his work as always and being the last one to leave the room. “Darn,” he muttered as another part fell off. He leaned down to pick it up and went right back to work. “Another screw again…” As he reached for it, he realized his surroundings as he sat up. The room was completely empty; there was no team, there was no sound of machinery or people, it was complete silence except for his breathing, which made him uncomfortable. He looked away for a moment to continue on his work, but something irked him about the room. He was used to the feeling of the sound of silence as he worked since he was always working alone in his workshop. In a way, the silence was comforting for him. Most people saw him as a more social type of guy, but sometimes he gets a little tired of socializing, especially after a hectic week. The only light that would accompany his figure would be a small and rusty table lamp with a few batteries scattered around it. The silence gave him some relaxation and allowed him to focus on his work more. He remembered how he would sit down and work on his time machine, enjoying the rare occasion. Yet, there were things that he missed from the silence. He would miss celebrating Christmas with the team, gathering around for drinks, and celebrating after another victory with them. The thought of them made him slowly stop his progress, the bolt dropping again. Now, it felt like a different silence to him, a silence filled with loneliness. This wasn’t the workshop he used to be in, it wasn’t the base that was home, and it sure wasn’t the same team he saw everyday for most of his life. No, it was a type of prison that he was forced to stay in forever until he forced his way out. He wasn’t working on a project but working on the key that was a few steps away from resolving the first problem he had caused. Right now, the silence reminded him of the loss of his team, the loss of his timeline, and his prison in ‘The Realm’. He scowled at it, not noticing the figure that walked into the room from behind him.

“Good lord,” she said, “I can’t imagine how someone like you can stay up for hours upon end. Everyone’s gone asleep at this point, yet here you are.” As Nova placed a plate of food down next to him, an odor reached her nostrils, causing her to recoil back and pinch her nose. “Jesus Christ, have you even bathed yet?!” Engineer took his helmet off and wiped his head with a rag, sniffing his skin for a moment. “Ah guess ah’ was so caught up in th’ adventure that ah’ don’t notice it anymore. Sorry if it bothers you ma’m.” Nova waved a hand in the air as she reached into her pocket to take out some large remote. After pressing a few buttons, a noise could be heard as a hole opened on top of the remote. Steam blew out as Engineer placed his hands up, covering his face. “What in sam-hill?!” He felt a soft foamy scent hit him as Nova waited for a moment before she turned off the machine. Engineer slowly opened his eyes as he glanced at himself. His clothes looked the same except for any stains that used to be on it. Engineer glanced up at Nova who crossed her arms and leaned down to sniff him. “Finally, now you smell decent.” “What in the world did you do to me?” Nova rolled her eyes. “It’s a cleaning device that Elijah made for us. The particles that I sprayed you with absorb the oils and dirt particles that leave a scent behind. You’re welcome.” Engineer leaned down as he sniffed himself. He noticed that it was a soft lavender smell on his clothing. “Why, thank you ma’m.” Nova pointed to the plate next to him. “There’s your food by the way, Elijah _made_ me deliver it to you.” Engineer glanced to see a plate with some strange meat on it. “Mind if ah ask what this is?” He picked up the fork and jabbed the strange food. Nova groaned. “Do I have to explain everything to you? I think it’s deer or something, I don’t know anymore.” Engineer stabbed a piece and slowly brought it up to his mouth, putting it on his tongue before taking a bite. The texture was strange to him, but it did taste pretty good as he chewed and swallowed it. “Not bad,” he said. “Good, or else I would’ve slapped you for being ungrateful,” Nova said. Engineer sighed as he tipped his head. “Ah’ appreciate y’all for appreciatin’ me, but ah got it from here.” He set the food down as he continued back to his work, turning away from her. Nova scowled. “Are you seriously not going to finish eating or something? I’ve never seen someone work so hard in my life.” Engineer rubbed his head as he fixed another part. “Yeah, ah’ve been fixin’ to it for a while ah’ guess.” Nova sighed as she pulled a seat beside him. Engineer didn’t mind people watching him though. He gave a side glance at Nova, who seemed to watch what he was doing.

For a moment, it reminded him of how (y/n) used to sit by his side and watch him work. Sometimes he would show her how he would repair a teleporter or create a dispenser. (y/n) was kind enough to keep him company even though he would claim he was fine, but she would always pull up a chair and watch him or learn something from him. The smell of coffee would fill his senses when she brought him a cup for the night, knowing that he would stubbornly say that he wasn’t tired. She would shake her head and prepare a warm blanket for him since the workshop could get cold at times. It was comforting that he had someone treat him and care for him. He had been far away from home for a long time, following his father’s footsteps in getting a job at Teufort. It got lonely at times since the team did their own tasks, but (y/n) finish them early to stay up late at night to be the friend beside him, to learn from him, and to tell him that she was someone who cared about him and his wellbeing. She was a kind soul to him, and he appreciated that. His hands ceased his work as his face relaxed, he draped his hand across the parts, forgetting the presence of Nova. Though he wore goggles, his mouth turned down as he forgot about the task at hand. Nova was about to say something when she noticed the emotion on his face. Her brow raised as she cleared her throat. “What a weird face you have on,” she said. However, he paid no attention anymore. Her grip on her arms softened as he leaned forward. “Hey, what’s going on?” She asked as she nudged his shoulder. Engineer snapped out of it as he chuckled. “Nothin’s wrong ‘ere, just gettin’ sleep deprived is all.” Nova rolled her eyes. “Yeah right, you were thinking about something weren’t you?” Engineer chuckled. “What do ya mean m’am?” “Come on, I know when someone is thinking about someone else. It’s clearly someone you like, right?” Engineer gave a nervous laugh as he rubbed his head. “Ah well, ah’ guess it’s just somethin’ that ah’ remembered a long time ago.” He slouched down, clasping his hands as he stared away. “Just missin’ home ah’ guess.” “Is it the girl?” Nova asked as she leaned back in her sleep. Engineer turned towards her. “Well, sort of… ah’m mostly just homesick.” “Homesick, what’s that?” “Well, it’s what you feel when yer long from home and you start to miss yer family. You get a bad feelin’ in yer chest that makes you sad is all ah’ can say about it.” “So, you feel this ‘homesick’?” Engineer sighed. “Ah’ suppose ah’ do. Ah’ mean, after what happened ah’ know it’s got to be it. Ah’ just remember a lot of things we used to do. Sometimes she’d work with me in the shop an’ help me on some work. Ah’ love it, ah’ mean who wouldn’t?” Nova gave a small hum as he slowly went back to work. Nova glanced down and noticed that he barely ate his food. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrench out of his hand. “What in sam-hill are you thinkin’?” He tried to reach for it, but she was much taller, holding it above her head. “How can you possibly work on a project if you’re going to die? Can’t you just eat first before you start? It’s not like we’re wasting time, considering it doesn’t exist here anyway.” Engineer grumbled before giving a small ‘alright’ before grabbing his plate and proceeding to eat his dinner. Once he was done, he handed it back to her. “Thank you for the dinner, ah’ appreciate it.” “Yeah, whatever,” she said as she grabbed it. She got up and started to walk out the door until she turned around for a moment. “Don’t be an idiot and overwork yourself,” she said before disappearing out the door. Engineer gave a small smile as he picked up his wrench and got to work again.

…

Sniper glanced down at his new ‘bed’, which was basically made up of a few torn blankets and a lousy stained pillow that he found in one of the rooms that Elijah showed him. The room was just another strange storage room with junk thrown everywhere. The only source of light that he had was some modern-looking lamp that was placed in the center of the room. It was the strangest looking lamp that he had seen. It had a circular shape top with a dark wood bottom cut in different shapes, like stacked bricks. He thought it was ugly and how something like that could exist. He had moved a bunch of dusty objects to the side, enough to make a space for him long figure. He had arranged it multiple times, underestimating his size. Sometimes it’s tough to be tall for a guy like him. He kneeled and brushed any excess dust on the blankets, sneezing from the dust reaching his nose. “Crickey, this place is loike anotha trash dome,” he muttered as he finally settled in the homemade bed. He placed his sunglasses and hat down by his side as he pulled the covers up to his chest. Sniper didn’t complain much about anything, always getting the job done and keeping his old camper in shape, but boy was this place uncomfortable. The absence of sounds and the enclosed space made it feel like he was in some prison. He felt a few shivers go down his spine as he tried to fall asleep. He already assumed that Engineer was going to stay up the whole night doing his work, but he was sure that the other members went to sleep. Sniper stared up at the ceiling, his eyes looking around. He realized how tired he was from the weight of his eyes starting to come upon him. He gave out a yawn as the room around him began to turn dark. As he was about to shut his eyes, the sound of footsteps woke him up. “Wot the hell?” He didn’t move but strained his ears to listen to the sound of soft footsteps coming outside the room. He knew it wasn’t Engineer, since his boots were so heavy, they would sometimes shake the ground. It was lighter, almost like it could be a female. He heard the footsteps coming closer until it stopped right outside his door. The moment he heard the door start to turn, he quickly shut his eyes and rested his limbs. Only depending on his hearing, the sound of a door opening, and the sound of fabric reached his ears. He couldn’t identify who it was, but he could feel them watching him from the door. He laid still, his mouth opening a little to fake his real state as he felt eyes on him. Then, the figure shut the door and footsteps appeared again as they disappeared along the hall. Sniper slowly opened his eyes and glanced around to see if the figure had done anything else. “Looks loike everything’s the same,” he muttered. Somehow, the figure at the door raised suspicion. Sniper slowly got up from his bed and started to walk to the door. He opened it and peered down the hallways full of other doors. He looked to his right to find the person, but there was no one there. “Wot the…” “Whatcha doin’ buddy?”

Sniper turned his head to see Engineer appear on the other side. He turned his head the other way to see if the figure was there, but it was empty. Sniper scratched his face. “Er… nothin’ mate, just thought oi heard an ol’ noise or something.” “Yeah, apparently that’s normal in a place like this.” Engineer rubbed his stubble as he looked at Sniper. “You look like you were lookin’ for somethin’.” “Oi thought oi heard footsteps out here…” Sniper said as he glanced around. “That was probably me, sorry to give you a spook there,” Engineer said with a small chuckle. Sniper thought for a moment. He was sure that it wasn’t Engineer that he heard. Unless he was sleep deprived and hallucinating, he was sure that there was another person that came into his room. It couldn’t have been Engineer; he wouldn’t have been that quiet. Sniper shook his head. “Oi might be goin’ mad and loosing the ol’ screw,” Sniper said as he rubbed his eyes. Engineer nodded his head. “Well, ah’ guess it’s best you get some rest. It’s been a long day for us all. Ah’m goin’ to mah room. If you need anythin’ just come get me.” Sniper nodded his head as Engineer turned to leave. Once he opened another door and disappeared, Sniper stepped out of the room. He was sure that there was another person out there and it wasn’t just his imagination. He started to walk down the hallway where he heard the footsteps, checking other doors. “Chroist, this place is like a maze,” he said. He looked above to see some doors broken and some in top shape. He would open a few to see if there was any person, but there was a lot of junk and other objects falling from the holes in the room. “Now, where could they be?” Sniper glanced at another door until he heard a door closing ahead. “There you are, you little mongrel.” He started heading deeper down the hall as he came across a few doors. He started to figure out which doors the figure went through. There were four other doors in the place he was in. “Oi know the wanker is somewhere ‘round here…” he slowly opened the first one he saw, but it was just an empty room with warped walls. Sniper shuddered as he slowly closed the door to not alert the figure of his presence. He was about to open the other door when he heard metal scraping against the surface coming from the last one. Sniper slowly approached the door and pressed his ear up against it. He could hear feet shuffling along the floor and what sounded like tools and other gadgets. He listened closely as the figure in the room stopped as he heard some whirring noise. “Subject 107-A12-1 has shown advancement in the new plan,” said the voice. Sniper was able to recognize the voice belonging to Azriel. He made sure that his palms were pressed against the door as he continued to listen. “Subject has shown minor stabilization for the reactor core piece and great progress in the stabilizer. Though the project has shown success so far, it still needs progress before initiating the final step in Project X.” “Project X?” Sniper thought. “It is to say that the subject received must be kept alive until further instructions. However, subject has one companion in timeline 9635-C23 and one here in ‘The Realm’ by the name of ‘Sniper’. Subject 107-A12-2 is shown to be an average and lanky male with a strange accent of no deciphering and a reserved personality. He has shown to be of no use yet of no threat. Subject 107-A12-3 in timeline 9635-C23 poses a high risk of initiation and will be terminated upon the site once achieved in Project X for no further incidents or errors in said plan.” Sniper felt his heart drop at the sound of the figure. He wasn’t that stupid enough to know who he was talking about. “Bloody mary,” he thought, “this wanker wants to kill (y/n).” He realized the figure wasn’t talking anymore and heard him click a few buttons. Sniper slowly edged away from the door and made his way out. He started to turn his back and slowly walk away when he heard the footsteps approaching the door.

Run. That came up in Sniper’s head as he started to take off, the sound of footsteps filling the hall. He didn’t look back when he heard the door open and the footsteps of the figure following behind him, for he had already turned a corner before huffing and having his legs carry him to whatever destination he could find. “Shit,” Sniper huffed as he heard the figure give chase. “Oi’ve got to tell Engineer about this,” he said. “Where the hell is he?” Sniper ran to see the door that Engineer had gone through, but he realized that the doors looked different than from where he came from. He cursed himself as he continued, feeling the adrenaline rush through his body as his legs started to burn from the feeling of fear. The voice of Azriel could be heard echoing from the walls. “Halt there you spy!” Sniper didn’t shout back in fear of being recognized. Then, he came across the door to the main room where Engineer was building his portal. He wasted no time in running into the room and slamming the door shut. His breath heaved, but he covered his mouth the moment he heard the same footsteps dash through the hall. He listened closely until the footsteps passed him and disappeared into the next hall. Sniper sighed as he leaned his head against the door, his breath heaving as he gripped his chest. “Oi thought oi was done for,” he managed to say before turning around. That was when his body froze when he was greeted with the sight of a laser gun pointed right at him from the other side of the room. “Nova?” The girl was standing over Engineer’s portal, a metal rod in her hand as parts of the portal had been damaged. Sniper glanced and realized what was going on when she said nothing to him. “Oi should’ve known,” he said as he glared at her. “You are nothing but a sneaky rat bag!” “Shh!” Nova hushed him. “Oi don’t have to listen to you, you’re tryin’ to destroy this thing!” “Shut up unless you want Azriel to find us!” She said in a whisper. Sniper glanced at the machine before glancing up. “And woi should oi trust the wanker who’s messin’ with our way home and holdin’ me at gun point?” “And you’re saying you wouldn’t have shot me?” Sniper thought for a moment. “Meh, oi guess oi can’t blame ya, but that still doesn’t help with the fact that you’re destroying this thing.” Nova sighed as she placed her gun down. “I can explain.” “You better,” Sniper said as he crossed his arms and stared down at her.


	18. Project X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting harder for (y/n) as she experiences the darker side of her new place. As Engineer gets to work on a new portal, Sniper discovers a shocking secret about Azriel. However, things start to go downhill as more pieces start to come together. Will Engineer be one step closer to getting the team back home, or will they fall to their doom?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I know it's been a while from the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed it so far. There are just about two chapters left before the story ends. After having Thanksgiving break, I realized that it had been a while since I last worked on my story (oops). Anyway, I won't stop this anytime soon as always and I will start working on the next chapter for your convenience. Hope everyone stays safe and enjoys the holidays!

She watched as the face of the scientist contorted to fear as she heard Annora go quiet. For a moment, (y/n) was hesitant to even look at what she was pointing at, but then she felt her own instincts start to slowly turn her head to the side to face the quiet woman. At first glance, she could see that her appearance was the same; the matching hair color except for a few grays here and there, the stoic expression, and the same eyes. However, she found herself leaning forward, her eyes widening as she finally saw what the scientist was pointing at. No mask could cover her marks. Going past her face, (y/n) found multiple red and purple marks slashed across her neck, the marks outstretched to the sides as the patterns reflected along her skin. Involuntarily, (y/n) felt her mouth open a bit as she reached her hands along the sides of her own neck. She could still feel the sting from the previous assault, tracing the damaged skin lightly with her fingers. “It can’t be…” (y/n) thought, but her thoughts drifted longer. This was what Annora meant when she said that (y/n) and she were connected, this was what she meant when she was the original copy, the original (y/n). Whatever was inflicted on her reflected on Annora, but that would mean the other copies out there would. She saw Annora slowly reach her hands up to her neck as she slightly winced from the contact of her neck with her fingers. Dr. Agar slowly turned her gaze towards (y/n), glancing at her neck. (y/n) quickly raised her coat and glanced at Annora again. She could see the woman stare at the scientist as she felt her hands slowly drop down to her sides. She watched as Dr. Agar processed what was happening until her face shifted from shock to almost a realization. “Oh my god…” she said in a low voice. “T-This… is this…” Annora sighed as she glanced down. (y/n) took a step back as Dr. Agar covered her mouth. “I don’t believe it… she’s your…” “It’s quite obvious, isn’t it?” Annora said in a stoic voice. The scientist took a small step back as she glanced at (y/n) once more and back to Annora. “How is this possible, you brought back… an original… of yourself? A-Annora, you know the rules! You aren’t s-supposed to do this at all!” “It is fine,” Annora said, “if I did not, I would have been finished hours ago like the others.” Dr. Agar shook her head slowly. “Annora, you know this is not allowed according to Code IX. You already know the consequences for these actions!” (y/n) turned to the woman. “Does that mean I get in trouble too?” “Yes! You’re not supposed to be in this timeline because you will mess up the quantum forces and combine them!” “What is that supposed to mean?” The scientist’s eyes widened. “It means that the timelines will combine and as you already know yours is destroyed!” (y/n) whipped her head back to Annora. “Wait, the fuck?! Why the hell did you do this if you knew this was going to happen?!” However, Annora stayed calm with her continuous face, eyeing Dr. Agar, who wiped her forehead. “I apologize Annora but… you have to come with me for this one.” She raised her arm and pressed a button. “Mr. Frederick of Section IV, do you copy?” “Frederick reporting.” “We have a situation on Section-”

It was all in a quick moment. (y/n) found herself jumping back as a whirring sound burst threw the air and a beam of light blinded her eyes. She found herself hitting the ground as she slid momentarily, covering her face. There was silence as she saw Annora’s boots on her side. (y/n) slowly uncovered her eyes as she glanced up and saw the cold face of the woman staring straight ahead, but only this time was her arm extended out in the same direction. She heard a gasp as she found her head turning as her mouth dropped open at the sight. Eyes wide, Dr. Agar stared at Annora with a shocked expression, her mouth open wider than before as her hands slowly found the gaping hole in her chest. “Y-Y… Y-You…” She could barely speak as her eyes met (y/n)’s before rolling back, her body leaning forward until it made a thump on the ground, her glasses shattering into pieces. All was quiet as (y/n) found her gaze locked onto the poor woman on the ground, the body unmoving. She could hear Annora shifting her arm back in place as she heard a few clicks from her weapon, but she paid no attention. “Oh… shit,” (y/n) thought. Though she was glad to only witness the aftermath, her mind only replayed one thing that tugged at her soul. She could only see the look of terror and realization from Dr. Agar’s eyes as they penetrated her body, grabbing her from the inside, and tugging her down with her. She saw the deep and gaping hole through her chest, but there was only a pit of darkness. The body that was on the ground was lifeless now, yet her eyes looked alive and well. She could also see the face of Annora, so cold and so sure of herself in her actions, no hesitation, and no regrets, as she aimed and killed her own colleague. Though she could hide it well, (y/n) could see the glint of satisfaction within her cold eyes, how they stared at the victim as they fell limp, the ground catching their fate as their soul was whisked away to wherever it may go. It felt as if (y/n) could feel that same hole in her chest, clawing at her insides, taking her life away. Now, only Dr. Agar was to live in her mind for now as she was carried away into nothing but a corpse before her eyes. For some reason, (y/n) felt herself giving a small and light chuckle, causing Annora to glance down at her for a moment. In a way, the whole scenario reminded her of a time in her life where she was like this: cold and heartless. She remembered standing in front of her victim, a wounded soldier who scrambled for help, wasting no time in loading another bullet, aiming at the next life, and taking the shot for good. Though she was a trained mercenary, she could still remember a time where she was in the same position as Annora: no hesitation, just kill. She processed her emotions, keeping them in check as she found herself coming to the real world again. No, she was not the same person as she was before. Now, she is a human being with feelings, with flaws and strengths. Now, it was the time to face the reality of what happened. Annora had just killed an innocent scientist only because she broke the rules, because she brought her here to stay alive, which created a bigger problem for (y/n). Her face faltered into concern as she realized the situation, she was in. She was still with Annora and she had to figure out a way to get rid of her. She unconsciously bit her lip as the dead body continued to stare at her from afar.

“Apologies for the inconvenience,” Annora said as she adjusted her coat. “I supposed this is some mere humor to your liking?” (y/n) slowly stood up, her legs shaking from the impact before she took a deep breath. She slowly looked at Annora, who stared back at her, waiting for a response. (y/n) sighed as she brushed her hair back. “Why?” (y/n) could only say for now. “For us to succeed in our mission,” she said, “we cannot let anyone get in our way. I only did what I must, but does that mean I am now morally unacceptable to you?” (y/n) glanced away, her eyes back on the body in front of them. “No,” she said with a shrug, “if you knew my job, it would be like this every day.” Annora raised her brow before looking appeased. “I see, then we can agree that we are on the same page?” (y/n) could only nod, but her mind said otherwise. “When this is over,” she thought, “I will definitely find a way to get rid of you.” “So, what was that about the whole combined timelines?” Before Annora could answer, a voice broke through the atmosphere. “Dr. Agar, are you there?” Both glanced down at the arm as the radio continued. Annora walked over and leaned down, taking the arm of the corpse in her hand before reaching the button. “This is Annora speaking, it seems that Dr. Agar had something to do. I am here to report that Lab 51-Section B needs another inspection from the last experiment.” “Hello sir, what a pleasant surprise to hear you. I thought Dr. Agar was there a moment ago…” “Dr. Agar is a busy scientist, it seemed there had been a problem with the current experiment, so I had the courtesy of taking over the report for now.” “I see… er… so Lab 51 needs to be inspected, correct?” “Indeed Frederick, and I hope it will be done soon.” “Yes sir, our team will be sent there immediately.” The comm turned off as Annora placed the arm around her, hoisting up the dead scientist. “What are you doing?” (y/n) asked as Annora stood up. “Of course, we cannot leave evidence here. We must go to another room to dispose of this.” “Interesting,” (y/n) said as she rolled her eyes. “Can’t believe you killed your own colleague and just dump her on the side of a lab or something.” “I am not merely getting rid of her that easily,” Annora said as she glanced at the body. “I have worked with Dr. Agar for a few years in my life. I was the one who selected her in the first place when she started as a new scientist. I did not kill her; I simply made the choice of sending her off and relieving her of her duty.” (y/n) gave a baffled look as Annora walked past her, hearing dragging from the body in her hands. “Now, are you going to stand there or follow me?” (y/n) hesitated before she turned to follow her, her steps light and slow.

“I have to get out of here,” she thought as she followed Annora into another room. “As it is, the sound of more time trouble already sounds dangerous. Damn it, I hope Engineer hurries up with the stupid teleporter or whatever it is. In the meantime, there’s got to be some way to get rid of her once the time comes. But…” (y/n) watched as Annora entered the room and revealed aa white space pod. She started to press a few buttons on the pad in front before the pod slowly started to open. “She can’t kill me, if she did, she would suffer the same fate. But can I also die if I killed her instead? I mean… I’m not even in my timeline. Right now, I don’t even know what the consequences are anymore. Maybe I can think of something else before I can get to Engineer. There must be another reason as to why Minerva hid his experiments, I wonder… does it have to do with Annora?” The woman wiped her hands as the shuttle closed and transported through a tube. “They will not be able to find her with the scraps,” she said as she turned to (y/n). “Now, let us continue for our search.” She guided (y/n) out of the room as they made their way down the hall again. “We must keep moving if we are to find the reports and blueprints for this portal. I doubt we have about 20 days left.” (y/n) glanced at her. “What do you mean 20 days? It feels like it’s been six hours. How could it be that 10 days have passed from what you said?” Annora lifted her pad again and pressed the buttons, showing a holographic time clock. “In our timeline, our ‘clocks’ move faster than yours does. I assume that time is much different, yes? Our timeline seems to move much faster. What felt like six hours to you is 10 days for us for the sake of estimation.” “Is there a window that I can see out of?” (y/n) asked. “There’s no way, I don’t even feel tired. I’ve been active for ten whole days?” “Precisely speaking, yes. Since you come from a slower timeline, hypothetically, you have adapted to longer hours, whereas here we must sleep quite frequently.” “Aren’t you tired, don’t you sleep?” “Of course I do, but I do not need much like the rest of the workers here. I have wired my brain to where it does not need to run on so many hours of sleep in such little time. I would explain this in specific detail, but I am afraid your intelligence is not quite there to understand our concepts.” “And you say I’m the cold one,” (y/n) said as she rolled her eyes and looked away. “I am just saying, even you can admit that you are not as advanced as I am. If we were to enter your timeline, we would be considered gods compared to where you are now. We could be building the future that your kind dreamed of if we so desired. We could be building the new army, end all wars, establish peace within the solar system. So, indeed you are beneath me, as arrogant as it sounds.” (y/n) said nothing else as they walked down the halls, passing other scientists and workers along the way as they chatted about experiments and other processes that (y/n) was unfamiliar with. For the time being, she stayed quiet while walking next to the woman. Though it is not as bad as before, (y/n) could still feel the sting from the marks along her neck. She felt her eye water for a moment as a small yawn approached her chest. Was she really that tired already? Well, it had been a long day or night for her, jumping timelines, fighting for her life, being suffocated in a harsh way by her own copy. To say that it was a long day would be such an understatement. At this point, (y/n) could feel her shoulders start to slump down, her eyes droop slightly. She never realized how tired she was, but she also felt another emotion surge: anger. She was reminded of the figure walking next to her, the same figure that almost killed her, that threw her into a cell, that took her away from her friend that she was going to kill the moment she got her hands on him. Her memories that crawled through her brain reminded her of how much she hated this woman. One could say that she hated herself indeed and there is no lying about it. The presence of the woman beside her served as a reminder to get her part of the job done.

It was quite interesting to say the least as (y/n) started to realize what she was here for again. Yes, to kill the wicked witch and save the Emerald Kingdom to have a happily ever after, only this time it was going to be a bloody funeral being hosted by her as an alternative happy ending, might she say a better one. From the side, she could hear the soft breathing of the woman, her stone-cold face plastered onto her as if God gave no thought in creating her. What made (y/n) angrier was how she was her copy. “This,” she thought, “is my copy? How could such an empty vessel of an inhuman conscious come from me?” The thought almost made her laugh, but for the most she felt her fists curl for a moment. She knew who fault this was; her own. She knew what she was going to have to do if her and her friends were going to survive. Perhaps the lack of sleep has affected her after all or maybe it was just her soul, her conscience, her inner courage telling her that to solve this problem, she should let the woman die. Either way, she was going to meet her end, but as selfish as it sounds, (y/n) would rather have her die by her than have the council set her up for elimination. Buried in her thoughts, (y/n) said nothing else throughout their company, which caught the woman’s attention. She knew something was going on, as the girl beside her was always asking questions or had a side comment against her. Annora turned her head to the right, eyeing the expression on her face. Scrunched up brows, a slightly quivering lip, and eyes filled with a spark she had never seen before. Briefly, Annora felt her eyebrow raised, her lips part at the girl next to her. She had never seen those eyes before. At first, she had seen sadness, exhaustion, and quite possibly mischievous emotions, but there was something in her that was unknown to her. For some reason, Annora felt her pumping organ speed up. What was this? She had never felt this before; it was not love, that would be quite awkward for them both, but it was also not anger. No, it was something that she felt in her life only once. She felt her heart start to race faster, faster, and faster. Along her paled and aged skin, she felt tears of salt from her forehead decorate her face, just a slim drop of perspiration taking place. The environment around her started to grow cold and eerie the more she stared into the eyes of the being before her. Though it was just a glimpse of the emotion, Annora could tell what it was that was arising. Right away, she turned her head to the side, her breath that was shallow now starting to relax. She quickly brushed her hair to the side, getting a chance to wipe her forehead before she adjusted her clothing once more. She took deep breath, feeling her usual demeanor appearing once more as it crammed the previous emotions back into the abyss of her soul. She turned to (y/n) once more and noticed that she had a different attitude on her face. Now, Annora was confused. Just a moment ago, she had such a spark in her eyes, a flame almost. Now, she put on a neutral, almost like a façade, that covered her face as her eyes stared straight ahead down the halls. In a way, she could see why (y/n) was the original, but in another way, she was intrigued by her character in how it was also different from her own. Though she could feel it, (y/n) continued to look straight ahead, not batting an eye at the two eyes penetrating her figure. Annora turned away before speaking. “What has gotten you so quiet? You are usually quite the talker, are you not?” For a moment, (y/n) wanted to bite back with a witty remark, but she held her tongue and stared straight ahead. She could pretend all she wants, but (y/n) knew something that Annora did not. The thought of it made her smirk on the inside as she kept her calm composure in front of the woman. “I have observed that when beings are quiet, they tend to feel angry or in pain. However, I cannot think of what I did that would cause you to be like this.” This time, (y/n) almost laughed as her body shook for a moment. “Really,” she said in a sarcastic voice, “I’ll let you figure this one out yourself since you’re such the ‘advanced’ version that can make my timeline better in your eyes.” “And there it is,” Annora said. “So, it seems that I have offended you. I have my theories on why you are upset. It could be from being far away from home, it could be how exhausted you look from the events that came along, or it could be from you learning your lesson.” “Oh, and was this lesson about killing me at the last second? Yeah, fuck you,” (y/n) said with a genuine smile. “And did we learn from that lesson or must I take other measures?” (y/n) laughed as she slapped her side. “Oh please, we both know what happens when you do that. I wasn’t the only one that learned their lesson from that, now was I?” In a moment, (y/n) could see Annora tense before she turned towards her. “Your sarcasm may be tolerable for me, but you will not last this long with anyone else. You should be thankful for that.” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “Whatever, I can handle myself anyway.”

The two found themselves approaching the end of the hall and towards their destination. The vivid and bright halls that they were in seemed to darken as (y/n) took in account the rather obvious differences. Unlike the other places they had gone to, the door in front of them was built with two heavy metal ones. The metal was dark and barely shined with cracks along the sides of the walls. Two heavily armored guards were positioned on each side of the doors, each with a large assault rifle in their hands. The visors that were over their heads blocked their faces. (y/n) could feel herself shiver from the size of them, being almost if not bigger than Heavy. “Um, what’s this?” Annora said nothing as the two made their way. The guards stood at attention as they activated their weapons and pointed at them. “State your identity and purpose here,” one said in a robotic voice. (y/n) felt herself go quiet, but Annora had no trouble in answering them as she raised her arm and activated a button. The hologram that appeared showed a symbol with a few words that she couldn’t recognize. The guards seemed to know what it was as they laid their weapons down and stepped aside. He raised his finger to his ear and touched it. “Activate the doors,” he said. Annora turned to (y/n) as she raised her arm again and aimed it at her. “Woah, woah!” (y/n) said as she raised her arms. “What is this?” Annora said nothing as a shot was heard, causing (y/n) to shut her eyes. She felt pressure against her chest, as well as something coat over her being. She slowly opened her eyes to find a coat of glowing skin around her. She raised her arms, feeling the strange substance in her fingers. It felt like a second layer of skin, but it was much softer. She saw Annora activate her own as she turned to the guards. “There is a certain amount of radiation from the… last experiment done here,” she said in a low voice as the doors slowly opened. A draft flowed along as (y/n) felt it grace her face. “Jesus,” she murmured as the room before them had a small hallway. She could see cracks and substances oozing from the walls, glowing, and dripping from the floor. There were other doors that were broken and look like they could fall apart at any moment. Annora walked ahead as she entered through the doors with (y/n) following behind. She could feel the eyes of the guards’ stare into her back as she passed through. The first thing she felt was the warmth of the room from the radiation. She cringed as the colored substances fell along the walls, making a splat on the ground. “What the hell happened here?” One of the doors was tilted, which caught her attention. She approached it as she peeked through the crack. Though it was dark, she could see a few lights flickering along the sides, revealing a disaster in the room. The computer screens were blown out, radiation scattered along the room, and there were objects that (y/n) could not identify. She squinted her eyes until the light illuminated the objects, causing (y/n) to gasp and recoil back onto the ground. The black mass from the room were burnt bodies of the victims from the experiment. The face of the skeleton stared back at her as she felt the empty sockets judge her. “Oh… god…” was all she could say as the image of Dr. Agar appeared before her. The same position, the same eyes, the same expression of fear that appeared on the skeleton. She felt a hand on her shoulder that made her jump as she looked up to see Annora, who offered a hand for her. (y/n) glanced and hesitantly took it as she helped her up. “What the hell is this?” “This was our experiment, the last portal that we tried to build to ‘the realm’.” Annora continued to walk as they approached a single door. There were wires falling along the path that Annora moved out of the way for (y/n) to go through. “This is the room where Minerva and I were so close in finding the connections,” she said as she grabbed the rusted door and started to move it to the side. A putrid smell arose in the air, causing (y/n) to recoil from the heat and stench. “Ugh, what is that?” She fanned away the smell. “It is sulfur,” she said as they made their way through. (y/n) was greeted at the sight of a dim room filled with chaos. More wires sparked and hung from various places, the lab was large but covered in large pieces of debris and a gaping hole in the wall. The screens were oozing with metals and black substances. Annora scanned the area as she took in the scenery before her. What caught (y/n)’s attention was the object in the middle of the room. There in the middle was a small contraption with a mirror-like sphere in the middle. It too had ooze and debris. “Is that the portal?” Annora nodded her head as they stepped along the broken metal, kicking away more wires. “What even happened that caused such a mess?” (y/n) asked as Annora looked at the portal.

“We were so close in finding it, we were almost there.” She reached out and grasped the sphere in her hand, caressing the clear globe. “We followed the formulas, we made sure our engineers were following the steps, and we were certain that we found it. The portal was activated, we could almost see the other side of ‘the realm’. I saw a glimpse of it, just a small little image. I still remember it; I could still see the little rooms and the glow from the other side. The voices coaxed me, they were telling me that we did it, we found them.” Her grip on the globe added more pressure as (y/n) saw a small crack start to form. “But then,” she slowly spoke, “it had happened. Somehow, our calculations have failed us after all. The portal… it had spiraled out of control, all because of a small mistake.” (y/n) heard a shattering sound as the globe in her hands broke into pieces, each scattering across the damaged floor. “How could it have happened? Were we not perfect in every little step, were we not cautious the whole time? No… something happened along the way…” (y/n) hesitated as she gripped her arm, feeling the atmosphere change. “Did… you know what happened?” Annora released her hand, letting the rest of the pieces fall. “The portal started to close. We were not sure why, but then the portal began to malfunction, it started to spark as we tried to shut it off. But…” “But what?” (y/n) raised a brow as Annora went silent. “I wanted to see it… no… I _needed_ to see the other side. It was calling my name (y/n). It wanted me to see what it had to offer, it wanted me to discover the impossible, it wanted me to find the answers.” “So, you didn’t turn it off? Are you stupid, are you the reason all these people died?!” (y/n) threw her hands up in the air. “You and Minerva did this?!” Annora gave a dry chuckle. “No, Minerva warned me about this. I just decided to refuse his orders. I was so close in seeing it, but the blasted experiment said otherwise. Soon, everything started to fall apart. The energy from the connection between our timeline and ‘the realm’ started to tear. Minerva attempted to shut off the connection, but to no avail. The portal itself started to tear through space and time, creating an unstable kinetic energy from within. Dark matter from space began to alter the effects, increasing the positive feedback of energy. In one last effort, Minerva started to disconnect the portal one by one as everything started to collapse. The tear started to break through our reality. The scientists started to panic; the room started to crush in. It altered the dimensions, the scientists that were in range felt themselves fold into the dimensional breakage. Minerva did everything he could to stabilize it again, but it was no use. He made the fateful decision to self-destruct the portal to cut off the connection for good, but it would come at a cost.” (y/n) stayed quiet as Annora strolled around the room, striding past the wires with ease. The sparks illuminated her face as she passed by. “The explosion that occurred… it killed hundreds of scientists here. Minerva and I had been one of the few that escaped from it. He placed me in a small pod… this one to be exact.” She stood in front of a broken and dirtied object. It looked like the one that she had placed the corpse of Dr. Agar. “He had sent me out before the explosion could have taken place. As for him…” her fingers brushed the pod lightly. “Something had happened that I cannot figure out.” “Didn’t you say he was terminated or something earlier?” “Indeed, but even I doubted that happened.” “Wait, hold on,” (y/n) shook her head. “You mean to tell me that now you think he wasn’t terminated when you said that yourself?” Annora sighed as she stared at the reflection from the capsule. “I shall put it in a few words,” she said, glancing into her own eyes. “At first, it was said that he was terminated once the damage had occurred. However, the council said nothing else. My suspicions began to arise when I never saw him again after the accident even though the council pointed the fingers at him. Yet, the other scientists that survived the accident claimed that they had never seen him come out of the area. They said that he was last seen with the portal. Because of this, I noticed that the council tightened the incident, attempted to throw the evidence away that it occurred, and deemed it another failed experiment. Of course, I was to investigate and report it to them. I have seen this room many times, we have identified the bodies that were buried underneath the debris, but none of them belonged to Minerva.” “Could he have gone in another capsule behind you?” “It is not possible; I was the only one that made it through the capsule. No one else followed behind.” She turned to (y/n). “I have my theories, however.” “So, you think the council didn’t kill him after all?” “Precisely, you cannot kill a body that was never there to begin with. Minerva was never seen again after all, though the council did blame him and ensured his termination for the people who had lost their families in the accident.” “I’m not so sure I’m getting this,” (y/n) said as she rubbed her head, “you think he went somewhere else and that he might be alive or something?” Annora tapped the glass for a moment before she turned and stared at (y/n). “I believe that he may have jumped through the tear in space.”

…

“Start talking,” Sniper said as he crossed his arms. Nova sighed as she set the rod down. “For as long as I can remember, I was the first one to land here in this place. I was put here from the same timeline that your friend is stuck in.” Sniper shrugged as he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “And wot does this have to do with wot you’re doin’ now?” “I will get there when I give you some background you prick,” Nova growled. “Anyway, I only ended up here because the first portal built here malfunctioned, causing a hole to rip between our timeline and this place. It was a huge mess,” she said as she glanced down. “I was one of the scientists there, helping with the controls as they activated the damn thing. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn’t do anything about it. That wench… Annora…” her fists curled up. “It’s her fault that we’re all here in the first place.” Sniper raised an eyebrow. “So, this Annora girl, she’s the one with (y/n)?” “Yes, she was the one responsible for this whole mess… her and Minerva. They wanted to find a way to get to ‘the realm’ to control the flow of time to prevent any other future accidents.” Nova started to pace around the portal. “I was in the lab at the time where it happened…” she sat on the floor, placing her hands in her lap as she recalled the incident. “So much happened that day, Sniper. I was just another engineer, making sure everything was ready to go. Annora set up the experiment, telling everyone that it was ready, that the time was now to change our future. But… there was more to it than that after what I saw. The moment we were able to create a wormhole, create a time and space within ‘the realm’, I saw the parallel universes, I saw the other timelines being forged by… beings.” Sniper took off his sunglasses and placed them into his shirt. “Wot do you mean by ‘beings’ Shelia? Oi don’t think oi can follow up with wot you’re sayin’.” “I’m saying is that there were supernatural beings there,” she said. “There were voices speaking to us, telling us why we were there and that we weren’t supposed to be there. I saw them with my own eyes create more timelines, create the stars, create the next generations of people. It was shocking of course, but Annora… she had a vivid look on her face, as if she wanted more than just to help us all. I remember her turning to us and telling us to maintain the kinetic energy from the wormhole. I saw how she was going to step in to see for herself, to interact with the beings I saw, but this time she carried something with her as Minerva followed behind. It suddenly occurred to me exactly what they were going to do. They didn’t want to find ‘the realm’ to help the other timelines, they wanted the power of time for themselves. I didn’t want them to get it, not after what I saw. If I let them get to them, I knew they would conquer us all. But I couldn’t just break the portal, but I couldn’t shut it down either. If I stopped the portal right away, I would cause an unstable balance between time and space. The wormhole would collapse and create a huge tear between the lines, but I didn’t see any other choice. So, I disconnected the power usage that was in the portal and I burnt the circuits. I saw the tear start to appear as Annora was about to go in. When she realized what was happening, her eyes showed fury. The other teams of scientists tried to shut down the portal, but she demanded for it to be open, but Minerva knew what happened. He realized that I had the battery from the portal, and he lunged at me, but before he could the room started to fold from the interactions between the dimension, causing the space continuum to collapse. I saw him put Annora in the pod and telling her a few things before he sent her off. The rip affected our monitors and created an explosion in the lab. Luckily, I recovered in time to see Minerva try to get into the pod. I couldn’t let him get away, so I grabbed him before he could go and held him. He put up a fight, but the blast ended up consuming the lab. I thought we were dead, but then a miracle happened.” She turned to Sniper as he gaped at her. “Somehow, we slipped through the tear before the effect could overtake the lab. We made it into ‘the realm’ and floated through multiple dimensions. The wormhole that we went through was being destroyed, so we were forced into different realities of time and space. Minerva and I fought for a while before we got separated. I managed to kick him through a reality of some kind before I felt myself being flung deeper into the void. The last thing I saw was the tear begin to close before I was consumed by darkness again, the voices whispering again. Then, I woke up to find myself here in this room. I knew I was in some part of ‘the realm’, but I didn’t know which part. Every day, I wonder where Minerva went. Maybe he was dead, maybe he was somewhere else. If I survived, he must have as well, but I don’t know exactly where he went. However, I have a feeling that he would return someday to finish his project, to finish the final piece of the puzzle.” “Wot do you mean the final piece, and wot does this have to do about Azriel?” “The final piece is to build another portal, but to stabilize it, one must need another in ‘the realm’. Either way, they were not able to hold onto the opening for long, but it would be enough for both to get what they want.”

“Wait a minute, you’re sayin’ that you could’ve been out by now? Mate, we need to get out of this bloody hole to get back to our timeline. Why would you bloody up the portal for Chroist sake?!” “Because if I do then it’s giving Minerva what he wants!” Nova slammed her fist against the ground. “Look, I don’t know you much but you I assume you can keep your mouth shut. I would get us all out of here if I could, but if we do then Minerva and Annora will win. I can’t let them take over the space and time continuum or else we’re all done for!” Sniper rubbed his eyes as he sighed. “Oi see your point, but we still have to get out of here to save everyone else. This also doesn’t explain about Azriel at all mate.” Nova squeezed the bridge of her nose. “Just let me get there and then you would know, damn it. I can already tell that Azriel is not on our side at all. Azriel arrived here like the others, but no one knows where they came from. They were found in the same dark room, but Elijah said that they wouldn’t talk to him or the rest of us. It was a while before they spoke their first word and it was asking us where they are. We told them they were in ‘the realm’ and after that they said nothing else at all. For a long time, they just sat in the corner, doing nothing, not even moving for anything. The only time they would move was when Elijah and the others tried to build a portal out of here but failed multiple times. They would just sit in the same spot again. But ever since Engineer got here, Azriel seemed interested. They are so sure that Engineer is the one. I don’t like this at all, Azriel has got to be Minerva. There’s no other explanation.” “Alroight mate,” Sniper said, “oi get your whole theory here, but oi still need answers here.” “Like what?” Nova asked, raising a brow. “Oi can tell ya this bloke was talking ‘bout something… Project X oi think it was.” “Project X… I’ve never heard of that before,” she said. “Yeah well, that poiker wants to kill Engie and (y/n) when they have the chance. Woi can’t ya just tell Engie about this?” “Sniper, you don’t understand,” she said as she turned away. “I can’t just let Engineer build this portal. Even if I tell him, he’s still going to build it either way. It’s frustrating for me, I can’t let Minerva and Annora win, but I also want us to get out of here.” “Then woi don’t we just build a portal and get rid of them?” “Sniper, they are much stronger than you think. If we let this portal happen, then Annora will have a chance to get to the beings.” “Well, how ‘bout this: we build this damn thing, and we kill both of those cunts afterwards?” “Wow Sniper, it’s not like I was thinking of that before,” Nova said as she rolled her eyes. Sniper raised his hands up. “Look mate, we need to get out of here. Oi know Engineer for years and oi know that he’ll understand. You got yourselves a sharpshooter, an engineer, and one hell of a woman on your side. Oi think we can take them down together.” “But what about-” “Don’t worry about wot’s gonna happen if they win. The only way they’re gonna win is if ya keep thinkin’ about it, mate. We’re gonna win this and we’re all gonna get back home together. Roight now, we need to get (y/n) back and stop them.” Nova thought for a moment. His words were supportive, but she doubted him. For years, she thought that as long as they didn’t build a portal then Annora will never get what she wants. Now, things were falling into place with Annora. She wanted to figure a way out to stop them, but she knew this was the only secured way of doing so. But in the back of her mind, she felt guilty for the others that did want to go home. In a way, she was being selfish for destroying the other experiments, she felt bad at how the look of failure and longing stood in their faces when they failed. Elijah would tell her stories about his brothers and sisters, how they would play together, and go to the markets together. Yet, if she gave Annora what she wanted then they would all suffer for eternity from the power she would hold. She looked at Sniper again, who crossed his arms. “Oi can tell you still want to go your way in this. Look, you need to trust us. Engie and oi know wot we’re doing. Oi know that you don’t want to bloke to win, but you also can’t just keep these people here forever. They want to go home; they want to see their places again. Oi want to go home and get moi van back and just sleep at this point. We will find another way to stop them if you just let Engie do wot he has to do.”

Before Nova could say another word, footsteps could be heard coming from the wall. Nova and Sniper turned to each other. She lifted her gun as she aimed it at the door, hearing the footsteps get louder and louder. Sniper grabbed his kukri by his side and ran to place himself next to the door. They held their breath as the figure was in front of the door, turning the handle. The moment the door opened, Sniper lunged at the figure and tackled them to the ground. “What in tarnation?!” The familiar voice said as both landed on the ground with a large thud. Sniper immediately knew who it was. “Engie?” Engineer groaned as he rubbed his back. “Sniper, what th’ hell is wrong with ya?!” He pushed the sharpshooter off him as he slowly sat up. “What’s gotten into ya, son?!” Sniper quickly shushed him as he immediately closed the door. Nova put her gun down. “Engineer why are you still up. In fact, what are you even doing here?!” She whispered loudly. Engineer groaned as he stood himself up. “Well, ah was here to finish off the portal again. Ah tell ya, ah couldn’t even sleep at all.” He glared at Sniper, who put away his kukri. “Sniper,” he said with shock, “were ya plannin’ to kill me or somethin’ like ground beef?” “It’s not wot you think mate, we thought you were someone else.” Nova put her gun back as she walked over to them. “We have to tell you something, Engineer.” Before she could say much, Engineer gasped as he looked past her. “Mah’ work!” He pushed past her as he checked on his portal. The circuits and the metal parts were damaged as he shook his head. “No, how could this happen?” He turned to Nova and Sniper, who crossed his arms. “How ‘bout you explain mate?” Nova sighed. “Engineer, I can explain-” “Oh, you better explain,” he said as he gritted his teeth. He grabbed his wrench and aimed it at her. “Ah should’ve known you were part of this.” He strode towards Nova, who started to back away. Sniper quickly stepped between them as he outstretched his arms to keep Engineer away. “Wait Engie, let her explain.” “Did you let ‘er do this too?” “Engie, she was only doin’ it because that’s what Annora wants you to do.” “What in th’ hell do ya mean?!” Engineer tried to get past him, but Snipers’ tall body managed to keep him away. “Listen to me Engineer,” Nova said, “Annora wants you to build a portal to enter ‘the realm’. If you build this portal, you’re giving her what she wants to control the timelines.” “And why should ah believe th’ rotten bag who tried to destroy mah work?” Engineer glared at her through his goggles as Sniper attempted to hold him back. Sniper gripped both his arms and shook him. “Engineer, Annora is planning to kill (y/n) once she builds the portal!” The worker stopped as he glanced up at Sniper. “What do ya mean kill her?” “Oi was up in the middle of the noight and heard that Azriel talking. Azriel was talking ‘bout somethin’ to do with Project X. Apparently, they’re keeping track of us. They said somethin’ ‘bout killing (y/n) and you the moment they get the chance.” Engineer slowly put his wrench down as he processed what he heard. “How… ain’t (y/n) her original anyway? If she dies, then Annora dies.” Nova stepped in as she slowly made her way next to Sniper. “Yes, but if Annora gets the power of ‘the realm’ then she can alter reality to whatever she desires. Because of this, she gets to control any copy or original she wants. Because in ‘the realm’ time and space are incompetent, she’s able to kill (y/n) even though she is her original.” “Son of a bitch,” he growled. Sniper placed a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, mate. We got to do somethin’ first. Roight now, we’ve got to find some other way to get back home and get rid of Annora.” “Azriel might be Annora’s partner,” she said. “And why do you think that?” Engineer put his wrench away. Nova sighed. “Okay I’ll make this quick. Annora and her lab partner Minerva almost built this portal to ‘the realm’. In ‘the realm’, there are different levels and the one that she wants to access is where these ‘beings’ are. Don’t ask me what they look like, but I can tell you what they do. They are the ones that create new timelines and originals. They have the power to bend space and time from what it looks like. Annora and Minerva want to take that power and use it to conquer the timelines and basically doom us for all our lives.” Engineer stared at her wide eyed as he rubbed his head. “Mah golly! Ah can’t believe this is even possible!” “Right well, we can’t just build a portal to here or we just give Annora what she wants.” Engineer shook his head. “But we gotta get back home and set things right. Ah need to fix the timelines to get ours back.” Then, an idea sparked in his head. Sniper gave him a look. “Wot is it mate?” “Ah got a plan,” he said. “How about this: we don’t build a portal to her timeline. We can build a portal to where these ‘beings’ are. If we can get it, then we can restore our timeline, stop Annora, an’ then go back home?” Nova stood straight. “Absolutely no way!” “Woi not?” Sniper shrugged. “It sounds like a better plan.” “But we’re just as bad!” “Can we at least talk to them?” Nova opened her mouth but thought for a moment. “Well… I mean… I think so?” Engineer nodded his head. “If we do that, then we can get (y/n) and get outta ‘ere for good.” “So, how are we going to build this thing anyway?” Engineer turned to his damaged contraption. “Ah say we build another one.”

...

“You’re saying that Minerva is stuck in ‘the realm’ or something?” Annora nodded her head as she searched for a few things. “Precisely, there is no other explanation for this. If his body was never found, then there was only one place where he could have gone.” (y/n) scrunched up her face. “No, then he should be with Engineer.” Annora sighed. “There are different places in ‘the realm’ that a subject could possibly enter. The one we saw was only a minor area. If he were there, then he would have already come back.” “I don’t understand, I thought you couldn’t come out of there without a portal.” “Well, there is another place where you can escape, but it is rather… difficult to find.” (y/n) glanced around at the room, crouching from the wires swinging in the air. “So, what are we supposed to find from the clue?” “There is a file that he left here.” (y/n) snickered as she glanced around the room. “How are we going to find a file in this disaster of a room? I mean look at this,” she waved her hand around the room, “it’s like a hurricane was here.” Annora grabbed a table and heaved it across the floor, burnt papers scattering everywhere. “Oh (y/n), you must seem impatient about things.” “I am not impatient,” she said as she rolled her eyes, “I’m just tired of people’s bullshit.” She looked through broken drawers, pulling up files that were unknown to her. “How am I supposed to know which one to find?” “Simple,” Annora said as she looked through one. “You give them to me.” (y/n) paused for a moment as Annora continued searching, tossing the file somewhere else. (y/n) felt a chill run down her spine. She was never going to give Annora the file to begin with, but she also couldn’t read the symbols on top. She didn’t know how she was going to find the right one they were looking for unless she showed Annora. (y/n) huffed. “I’ll figure something out,” she thought. Annora stood up from her area and walked towards (y/n). “I do not think there is much here. I shall check the other rooms.” (y/n) waved her off. “And my job is to stay here and not go anywhere, right?” “It is very good that you are a fast learner,” she said. “Besides, the guards will not let you leave without me. If you do, you will seek harsh consequences for yourself.” (y/n) rolled her eyes. “Sure, now go do your thing and let me be.” Annora said nothing else as she exited the room and disappeared. (y/n) looked over her shoulder before scrambling to get up. “Okay,” she said, “let’s get this show on the road.” She dug through the drawers; through every paper she could find as she looked for anything familiar. “There’s got to be something here that was left behind,” she thought. “If I can assume, I think Minerva must have done something before he disappeared, but where would he put it? It could’ve been destroyed… Man, I wish I understood what these stupid symbols meant.” She found a tablet on the ground, chipped and parts burnt. There was a long crack going through the screen. She picked it up and turned the screen towards her. She tapped on the button and saw the screen slowly light up. “Hm…” The screen showed a few symbols before a cracked robotic voice was heard. “Identification necessary.” A small hole was revealed as a wave of blue light created a graph on her face, scanning her. “Please don’t let it be like the shower,” she thought as the voice appeared again. “Welcome, Annora.” The hole disappeared as the screen slowly blinked, revealing multiple symbols. (y/n) frowned as she looked upon the language. “Isn’t there some translator or something that I can work with? There should be no reason this doesn’t have a language setting.” The screen made a noise as the cracked voice answered. “Would you like to change to the desired language?” “Oh, finally. Computer: English.” “Processing language information.” The tablet made a whirring sound as the symbols started to morph into English. “Yes, now we’re starting somewhere.”

The familiar words were printed on the screen as she read through multiple files. “Let’s see here… experiments on the… one-eyed galatar? What the hell kind of name is that? No… that’s on some other thing…” (y/n) mumbled as she flipped through the screen. “How many files are on this thing?” “Scanning… there are over 300 files in my system.” Her eyes widened. “Jesus, is there an easier way to search for what I need instead of looking through all this? This is going to take me days!” “As part of my p-programming, I-I can search for the f-files you are looking for b-by shortcuts. Please tell me t-the file you are s-searching for.” “I’m looking for files based on ‘the realm’.” The computer made another noise as the screen switched through multiple pages. “Searching… s-searching…” (y/n) waited as she tapped on the side of the tablet, glancing around the room. She looked behind her at the entrance, waiting to see if Annora was coming back yet. “File detected.” (y/n) turned to see the screen load and reveal part of the message. (y/n) raised an eyebrow at the title. “Project X?” She shrugged as she pressed on the screen to open the file. The screen projected a holographic image of notes and papers in front of her. (y/n) started to read through the first page. “Project X began on the 34th during the south position of Jupiter. Dr. Minerva has initiated a team of engineers to begin research on Portal C-18, also known as, Portal Raydon. The programming involved in Portal Raydon is to connect the wormholes through the space and time continuum in order to initiate a pathway from our current timeline to what is known as ‘the realm’. Once conducted, we will be able to access ‘the realm’ for future research and investigations to stabilize the timelines and originals. Currently, there have been five timeline failures in the system that has caused damaged in time. There are tears in time that have yet to be repaired. In addition, Dr. Minerva has presented formulas for Portal Raydon, which has yet to be completed. The leader of the engineer team has been handed to Nova, one of our best engineers. In the process, Nova has reported on the process of Portal Raydon to possess multiple failures in connections and expresses concerns about affecting the wormhole. Dr. Minerva has shown to carry out the experiments and has urged Nova to use the new model for the stabilizer. Stabilizer is to contain krystine crystals for energy consumption to convert potential and thermal energy into kinetic.” (y/n) yawned as she skipped a few pages. “This is so boring; this has nothing to do with what I have to do to build this stupid portal.” She flipped to another page as she pulled up an image of the portal. It looked like it was just started since it didn’t contain the sphere that she saw on top of it. There, she saw a picture of a young woman holding her tools and other people constructing the portal. “That must be Nova,” she thought as the picture of the cold-stoned girl appeared in the front. She zoomed in on the picture as she glanced at the faces. (y/n) swiped through the hologram to find other notes about it. There were multiple formulas that she couldn’t recognize, but she felt the need to write them down. “Maybe when Engineer contacts me again, I could hand him some of these,” she thought. Looking around the room, she tried to find some scrap paper as she gathered some. She managed to find a bent pen, testing the ink before she started to copy down the formulas. Once she was done, she slipped the papers into her pocket and threw the pen across the room. “Alright, there must be something else about this project. What’s the most recent page on this, computer?” “The final assessment was on the 47th day during the eclipse of Mars, accessing…” The hologram showed the last page from the file. (y/n) read the first line and realized that it was a note from Annora. “Mars is beginning to line up with our moons, which is an auspicious sign for us. Today is the day that we begin to test Portal Raydon. Our experiments for Project X are almost complete. Soon, we will have access to ‘the realm’ and please the decisions of the Council. Today, we are working with Nova and her team of engineers as they start to initiate the activity of the portal. Dr. Minerva and I will begin to build a wormhole connecting to ‘the realm’ and accessing level infinity: the final tier of ‘the realm’. It has been a successful mission so far for us. Dr. Minerva and I will be able to succeed in having connection with the ‘beings’. I can hardly wait for this moment. I can feel the desire building up in my core, my very own soul. I must remain calm; I must keep my emotions in check. I cannot fail this mission; it is the only way for us to get to the main target. And…” The words cut off as another page was started. (y/n) scrunched her face as the words changed to something else.

“Mission has failed for us; we were so close to obtaining the ‘beings’! No, no… no! I was so close to getting to them if it weren’t for some stupid brat! That Nova… I know she did it, she was the one who broke the damn portal on purpose! I just know it… I know! When I find her, I will kill her with my own bare hands. Minerva is gone, he has disappeared somewhere. After the explosion, there were only ten survivors. I was one of them, being able to escape in a pod before the reaction occurred. Dr. Minerva placed me in one escape, but he had yet to tell me a few instructions. I can recall the recent ones, but I am not sure about some of them. In his instructions, he had told me that in five years, there will be a disturbance in the timeline. He had purposely caused it to alert me to my next clue. I am to find a man with goggles and a hardhat that comes from said timeline…” (y/n) paused for a moment as she processed what she read. “Wait… she’s talking about Engineer? But… how is this possible?” She felt her hands start to shake as she continued reading. “I am to find this man and bring him to our timeline to continue the construction to do so. He is to be accompanied by my original in the process. Once he succeeds in our newly constructed portal, I will terminate him on the spot. Minerva also instructed me that I kill all scientists that survive the experiment. Project X must continue to reach the objective. If the subject were to end up in ‘the realm’, then Dr. Minerva will find a way to reach him. The final instructions were unclear for the next clues to his experiments, but he has hidden one final clue to the construction of the new portal. These were the things that were remembered before my departure as I ended up in another room of the facility. Now, I must wait for the event to happen before I can resume Project X. The ‘beings’ were so close; they were there in front of me. I could not believe how they left my grasp. The power that I saw… it was beautiful. I must have that power; I must kill whatever is in my way to reach those ‘beings’. I will have everything in my hands soon.” (y/n) saw another tab underneath the page, her hands shaking more than ever, the sweat slowly dripping down her face. “No…” she said in a low and shaking voice. “T-This can’t be… this w-was all at trap… i-it was all… supposed to happen?” (y/n) recalled the moment as she started to put a few things together. “Engineer… he built the timeline… they wanted him to build the timeline, but how… did they send someone to our world to get him to build it…” (y/n) felt her head hurt as her finger hovered over the tab. It seemed to hold extra information, but she was too nervous to open it. “I-I can’t believe it… it was a-a master plan…” For what has happened, she could not believe that Annora was waiting for the moment, the moment for Engineer to create that mistake, for them to be trapped in time, for them to be captured. They must have done something to predict the future or they may have been in their timeline. Annora only wants ‘the realm’ for the power that it had, she wanted to kill Engineer, so he won’t get in her way, she wants the power to control something. (y/n) couldn’t understand how things worked, but she knew that whatever was going to happen, it was not good. She wondered where Minerva was now and if he were in ‘the realm’, that means he must be with Engineer. Her bile started to churn in her gut the more she counted the possibilities. The tab that flashed caught her eyes as her finger hovered over. “W-What other surprises could this have?” Sucking her breath, she finally pressed the hologram as an image popped up on the screen. She gasped, her hands taking a grip on the tablet as she saw the familiar face on the screen. “N-No! It can’t be…” Her eyes couldn’t stop staring at the screen, her mouth slowly opening as her eyes shook. “No… no… no…” On the screen, there was a picture of Engineer and (y/n), both on the battlefield back in Teufort. It was the same day that they won the match. The date matched the time as (y/n) dropped the tablet, the machine crashing onto the ground as the hologram continued to play. “They expected us in the exact moment…” Suddenly, the hologram flipped to another image of Engineer. (y/n) didn’t recognize it, but she saw someone in a cloak, hidden as they had a few gadgets in a box. There was Engineer, grabbing the box and exchanging it for money. “Those were the parts for the timeline…” (y/n) covered her mouth as the picture flipped again. This time, it zoomed in on the cloaked figure. (y/n) squinted her eyes as she seemed familiar with the figure. Her eyes widened as the next picture slid to show the face of the figure. No more words could come out of her mouth as she felt her feet back away from the image, her heart pumping out of her chest. “H-How…” She felt her back pressed against the wall, her chest heaving at the sight of the hologram. Then, she heard a familiar voice. “Welcome to Project X.”


End file.
